


Return to Normal

by gmariam



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Audio 029: Serenity (Torchwood), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-21 12:30:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20693564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gmariam/pseuds/gmariam
Summary: Jack and Ianto return to Cardiff and the complications of their not-so-normal life with Torchwood after living together while undercover in Serenity Plaza.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jack watched the fires spread through the ruins of the upscale neighborhood where he'd spent the last several weeks of his life, both enjoying a glimpse of something more normal, and cringing every time he stepped out the front door. It had been a twisted glimpse of normal, though, where they'd spent half of their time play-acting at being happily committed for their cover. Yet it had been nice to spend so much time with Ianto, and he hadn't been acting all the time. Mostly, he had been playing it up, exaggerating to fit in with the melodramatic neighbors. Coming home to a warm house after work to have dinner together, to go to bed and wake up together, to spend weekends cleaning the car and tending the lawn and simply being together…that had been good, really good. Normal.

Unfortunately, the excessive rules of the estate and the extreme perkiness of the residents had usually ruined it. But Jack knew not all neighborhoods were like that, suffocating and overdramatic to the point that it had driven Ianto to deeper and darker rants. Which had surprised Jack even more than the insane competition for best lawn.

He glanced at the man next to him, but couldn't read Ianto's face. Was he glad it was over, and all signs of it leveled to the ground? Had he enjoyed any of it? Did he feel guilty about destroying the last survivors of an aggressive alien race determined to take over the planet? Jack suspected that whatever Ianto was feeling, he'd probably bottle it up. But he also knew from their recent experience that it would sneak out in exceptionally biting sarcasm and possibly minor explosions over small things like barbecues. He'd learned a lot about Ianto, and about himself, yet there were still so many things he felt like he'd never know—but maybe wanted to.

"You really okay?" Jack asked, concerned as Ianto stared at the destruction, completely silent. Ianto took a moment to answer.

"Yeah," he replied. "Just thinking about the deposit on all the furniture we rented. The dishes, the linens…" He trailed off, still staring at the home they'd shared for over a month.

"Seriously?" Jack frowned, wondering if Ianto was deflecting, taking the piss, or actually being serious. He'd certainly proven himself house-proud, which maybe shouldn't have surprised Jack as Ianto kept the Hub exceptionally neat and organized. But Ianto didn't have a lawn to tend at his flat, or put out blue towels for decoration, or complain about Jack leaving the toilet seat up. Jack wondered if the exaggerated domesticity had been a coping mechanism for being undercover for so long, or if that life was in there, somewhere.

"Well," Ianto said, a small smile on his lips. "Some. Mostly I'm wondering how the hell we're going to sort this and come up with a cover story."

Jack turned back to the rubble and sighed. "You're right, as usual. This is a doozy."

"A doozy? Jack, we blew up an entire estate." He motioned toward the houses, half standing and still smoking as the sirens in the distance grew closer. "_I_ blew up an entire estate. I improvised an explosive device like some kind of terrorist and blew up three dozen homes!"

"They were aliens," Jack pointed out. "Here to take over the world one gene splice at a time."

Ianto waved him away. "I know that and you know that, but no one else knows that."

"Drawback of the job," Jack said. "We never get the credit we deserve." He paused. "You're not feeling guilty, are you?"

Ianto glanced sideways. "Are you?"

Jack thought about it and nodded. "We did what we had to do, but we don't have to like it."

Ianto blew out a long breath. "But we do have to clean it up, and we can't let the local authorities in because some of those houses are crawling with alien tech, not to mention the all the bodies with mysteriously melted bones."

"Then I guess we need to call—"

Jack's mobile went off then, and he grinned when he saw it was Tosh.

"Tosh, perfect timing! Can you—"

"Jack, what's going on? There was a massive explosion at Serenity Plaza, are you all right? Is Ianto okay? What happened?"

"We saved the planet once again, Tosh. And now we need some help cleaning it up."

"What did you do this time, Harkness?" It was Owen, which meant the team was on speaker phone. Jack held up his mobile for Ianto to listen in as well.

"We might have blown up all of Serenity Plaza. It was an awful place to live, what with every single resident being an alien sleeper agent and all." He winked at Ianto, who rolled his eyes.

"What?" That was Gwen. "Jack, what happened? How do you know it was all of them? How did you stop them?"

"It's a long story, and I'm sure Ianto would love to fill you in since most of it was his idea." Jack grinned at Ianto, but Ianto cringed. Jack noted it, filed it away. Maybe Ianto was not as okay as he was pretending to be. Then again, neither was Jack, but they still had a job to do.

"What do you need, Jack?" asked Tosh, staying on topic. "Emergency services are on their way, you know."

"Yep, we can hear them," Ianto replied. "Surprised they weren't here ten minutes ago."

"Try to delay them, Tosh," Jack ordered. "We need UNIT on this. The entire estate was compromised and we can't let that get out. I want all hands on deck, which includes the three of you. Bring lots of containment boxes. And an extra car, since ours was destroyed with most of our stuff."

"On our way," she said, while Owen muttered something in the background about the bill and Gwen told him off. "What should I tell UNIT?"

"Tell them the truth," Jack told her. "They can handle it. We'll see you soon."

He hung up the phone and turned toward Ianto. "It's going to take them a while, so we'll have to handle things on our own until then."

"Funny, isn't that what we've been doing for the last several weeks?" Ianto asked.

"That's right, you did say something about us being unstoppable together," Jack bumped his shoulder as they made their way through the smoldering estate.

"Yes, well—extreme duress and all that," Ianto murmured, sounding embarrassed about his earlier turn toward sentiment. He cleared his throat and focused. "One of us should probably handle emergency services, and—"

"The other should double check the ruins," Jack said. "For survivors."

"Should we play to our strengths, then?" Ianto asked, though he sounded reluctant.

"May as well," Jack replied, and Ianto turned to head up the street and stop any emergency services. Because he was the one who dealt with that stuff at the Hub, while Jack was the one who ran in with guns blazing.

"Hey," he said, grabbing Ianto by the hand to stop him. "We did good. _You_ did good." He leaned in to kiss Ianto, who smiled weakly as they parted.

"I'm glad it's over," he said, "but there's going to be a lot to deal with." Jack suspected he wasn't only talking about the cleanup. The things they had done, the people they had killed (or saved), the life they had tried on for a few weeks: yes, there would be a lot deal with. There always was, though. And they would deal with it, because that's what Torchwood did.

* * *

They worked through the night, and it wasn't until almost lunchtime the next day that Jack and the UNIT commander decided they'd done all they could do to contain the alien aspect; it was time to bring in the local authorities and start spinning their cock and bull story. There were news crews prowling the borders of the development, but given that Torchwood was supposed to be a secret organization, they left it to UNIT to make a brief statement about the massive gas explosion that destroyed Serenity Plaza.

Gwen wanted to stay, to help with the families of everyone who had died at Serenity Plaza, but Jack convinced her to leave it to the local authorities. It would only make things harder for both her and the families, as well as possibly expose them. She drove back with Tosh and Owen, the SUV packed with all the alien technology they could find. Jack and Ianto shook hands with the UNIT commander before walking over to the car the others had brought for them now that Ianto had lost another to Torchwood. In the trunk were the few items they'd been able to scavenge from the ruins of their house: some miraculously untouched personal belongings; all the Hub equipment they had brought with them, most of which was destroyed; and that damn alarm clock, still chirping their fake names. Ianto had also grabbed the certificate from the lawn contest, burnt around the edges but still recognizable and whole. He hated it, but at the same time, he had won the contest fair and square and wanted the proof of it.

"Want to drive?" Jack asked at the car, but Ianto opened the door to the passenger seat, sat down, and leaned back.

"Nope," he said as Jack pulled a face at him. "I want to sit back and enjoy the ride home."

"I've driven to the Hub and back every day," Jack complained as he pulled away.

"And I had to stay in the house all day like a mindless automaton from The Stepford Wives," Ianto replied. "Pulling weeds and cleaning house and cooking bloody kebabs that no one ate." He grumbled some more under his breath, staring out the window as the Welsh countryside started to pass them by. He was looking forward to being back in the city, with the crowds and the noise and the Weevils, but also the bay and the Hub and the rest of his team. No, he was not cut out for life in the suburbs; hard to believe he'd ever considered it in London, with Lisa.

"You know, for all your snarky comments, you really stepped up to that life," Jack pointed out. Ianto stared at him.

"What?" he demanded. "What do you mean, I stepped up to that life? I hated it, Jack! Every moment of it!"

Jack frowned slightly before it left his face and he grinned. Ianto could see it was forced, though, and wondered what he'd said wrong. "But you knew what to do—keeping up the house, the lawn. Schmoozing with the neighbors. You played the part so perfectly, sometimes I was almost fooled." He paused. "Although I could usually tell by your voice. You had a different Ifan voice."

"Helped me get into character," Ianto told him. "So I could keep it all separate in my head. Look, just because I could play the part doesn't mean I liked it. Maybe I should have been an actor or something."

Jack burst out laughing, which almost hurt Ianto's feelings, except he knew perfectly well he wasn't the theatre type.

"Maybe not acting," Jack said. "But undercover work does suit you."

Ianto thought about it and decided Jack was probably right. Because undercover work was, at its core, nothing but living a great big lie. And Ianto had done that most of his life, in some way or another. Taking what he'd learned along the way and creating bigger and bigger lies to get the job done was a natural extension of that. Or maybe he'd watched too many James Bond movies.

"I think we should send Tosh and Owen next time," Ianto said, wondering if Tosh would love him or hate him for the suggestion. "Or I'll take Tosh, since Owen is technically dead."

Jack gave him a double take and was about to say something, but his phone went off then. Ianto answered for him, assuming it was one of the team calling from the road. It was not. After a short conversation, he ended the call and tried not to sigh heavily.

"That was the Home Office," he announced, leaving it at that.

"And?" Jack pressed. Ianto met his eyes.

"Our presence is requested in London."

Jack did not react, which was worrying; Ianto half expected a suggestive comment about spending more time together. When he did speak, it was as if Jack knew the answer to his question. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"Is it ever the former?" Ianto offered dryly. "Seems like every time we save the planet we get our hand slapped. Frobisher wants to talk to us about Serenity Plaza. In person."

Jack blew out a long breath, because he knew, just as Ianto did, that it was never a good thing to be called to London. He nodded, then glanced over at Ianto with a small smile.

"Well, tell them we need to stop for food and clothes first, since ours all blew up. We can be there in—"

Ianto already had it punched into the sat-nav. "Three hours. Plus a stop in Kensington, so I told him four."

"Better book us a hotel then."

Ianto frowned. "Why not drive back tonight?"

"It could be midnight by the time we got back," Jack pointed out. "Who knows how long they'll keep us on the carpet, they need to put on a show. We've been up all night and we need to rest. We can enjoy one more night together, can't we?"

Ianto narrowed his eyes. "As long as it's not as Ken and Ifan."

"No," Jack said softly, reaching over for his hand. "We're back to Jack and Ianto."

Ianto held his hand and wondered what their time as Ken and Ifan would do to their lives as Jack and Ianto. He suspected something would change, but he wasn't not sure what. And he wasn't sure if he wanted anything to change, or for everything to go back to their strange version of normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many thanks to my awesome Tumblr friends and writers—dinodina, cozsheep, fakingg_sanity, and avaantares. As always, they listen and offer advice and we have such great conversations, especially when something big happens and I freak out and need someone to talk me through it! This happened many times, and even resulted in a dark one-shot called 'deactivated.' This story is mostly done, barring any last-minute twists, and simply follows up on many things I wondered about at the end of the Big Finish audio drama 'Serenity'. Hopefully I've got all my ducks in a row. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

They made it back to the Hub just after noon the next day, too tired to unpack and leaving everything they'd salvaged in the car for later. The team was starting lunch, three large pizzas set out on the table by the sofa. Ianto grinned as soon as he saw it.

"Brilliant," he said, grabbing a piece and taking a huge bite without even sitting down. "Oh, I have missed this." He turned and gazed around the Hub. "Really missed it."

"You're cracked," Owen called from his station. "There's nothing to miss here."

Tosh stood up to hug him, which he returned with a one-armed embrace while he continued to eat his pizza, followed by another for Gwen. "You have no idea what that place was like, Owen. It was the estate from hell."

"Jack didn't make it sound so awful," Gwen said, sitting back down on the sofa and making room for Ianto between her and Tosh. Jack grabbed a slice of his own and stood nearby. "And we saw him every day."

"Exactly!" Ianto exclaimed. "He got to leave, go to work every day like a normal person, while I had to sit around making small talk with the psychotic neighbors."

"Were they that bad?" Tosh asked.

"They were aliens," Ianto told her.

"No, they were more like humans pretending to be aliens pretending to be humans," Jack said around a mouthful of pizza. "The crazy was all them."

"Whatever it was, it was not something I'm ever doing again," Ianto stated, and proceeded to tell them about the lawn contest and winning it even though Bob cheated, about cooking food for the barbecue only for Mary to leave it out due to food allergies. About their wilted flowers and the mud and "Don't be a stranger!" Jack watched, trying not to let it get to him. . . but it did.

Everything Ianto said about the absurdity of Serenity Plaza was true, and yet, he was leaving out all the positive things. Eating dinner together every night, waking up together every morning. Weekends alone and Weevil free. The feeling of being a real couple, married and living together, and not two people working together and shagging and occasionally going on a real date when they had the time and energy. Yes, much of it had been a lie, and many other things had been nothing like Jack pictured life outside Torchwood, but some of it had been good.

Tosh seemed to pick up on his thoughts, glancing back and forth between him and Ianto with a small frown of concern, so he tried to keep the smile on his face, nod when Ianto needed him to nod. Gwen, of course, noticed nothing.

"It didn't sound that ghastly from Jack's stories," she said. "I guess white picket fences in the suburbs are not your thing."

"Definitely not," Ianto agreed. "At least, not like that." Jack's head whipped up, and Tosh must have seen him, because she hid a smile as Ianto continued and Jack's hope sparked. "Maybe someplace with no rules, no competitions. Not so many barbecues. And definitely no aliens."

"I seem to remember someone working awfully hard to win some of those competitions," Jack cut in with a grin, unable to resist teasing. "And getting exceptionally pissed off at people for breaking the rules."

"Yes, well," Ianto floundered. "I was a bit stir-crazy by then, wasn't I?"

"He thought he'd become one of them," Jack stage-whispered.

"One of the aliens?" Tosh asked, while Owen snorted.

"One of the crazy neighbors," Jack told her. "He actually thought_ I_ was one of the aliens."

"What?" Gwen gasped. "What happened?"

Ianto seemed to shrink in on himself, concentrating hard on his food as Jack continued.

"I was captured by the sleeper agents." Another gasp, and even Owen sat up straighter and frowned. "They were turning people by using the satellite, programming the alien persona to activate at a certain signal. I got away, made it back to Ianto, but he thought I was compromised." Jack had started out telling the story with his usual flair, but as he continued, it hit him: what had happened to them, how horrific it was, how catastrophic it could have been. Ianto was completely withdrawn, his face pinched. No one else saw it because they were watching Jack. "So he shot me."

The others looked at him, then at Ianto, and back to him. Owen swore under his breath.

"And were you?" Tosh asked quietly. "Compromised? Converted?"

Jack didn't feel as glib about it anymore. He didn't know if he had been turned by the alien signal or not, but he realized exactly what it meant now—to him, to the team, and to Ianto especially. _Converted._

"I don't know," he said quietly. "But if I was, Ianto stopped me. He saved me."

Ianto looked up, obviously agitated. They had not talked about it since it had happened, too wrapped up with the aftermath both in Serenity Plaza and London. "I shot you in the head, Jack!"

"It was a stressful situation," Jack offered lamely. "You couldn't be sure."

"Like you said, I could have asked you something."

"And like _you_ said, I would have had all my memories and answered correctly. You had no way of knowing for sure."

Ianto shook his head again. "Doesn't matter. I still shot you."

Jack tried to ignore the others listening to them. "And I came back! I will always come back, so it's okay!"

"People shouldn't shoot the people they're sleeping with!" Ianto exclaimed. "That's not normal, that's as far from normal as not normal gets!"

Jack didn't know what to say as everyone remained quiet, looking anywhere but at them. Ianto leaned on his knees, staring at the floor as if he wanted it to open up and swallow him. It was true, that most people couldn't shoot their boyfriend and get away with it, but Jack wasn't a normal boyfriend, was he?

Funny how easy it was to keep thinking about them that way. As a real couple. Boyfriends. It was Owen who broke the awkward silence.

"It's Torchwood," he said, standing. "We don't do normal. But we do make sure we're who we say we are, so let's run some tests. One at a time, starting with Jack."

Jack didn't move.

"Now, Harkness. Before it gets even more uncomfortable in here."

Ianto motioned Jack toward Owen, indicating he should go. Jack wanted to talk more, but they couldn't keep arguing in front of the others, so he followed Owen downstairs and sat as patiently as he could while the doctor drew a vial of blood and started some other tests. He didn't talk at first, but when he did, it was not about the conversation upstairs.

"So what did the assholes in London have to say?" Owen asked instead. "We in trouble again?"

"Yep." Owen blew out a frustrated breath, but Jack shrugged, because it was the truth. The powers that kept loose watch over Torchwood were not happy. "We're on a sort of probation. They want biweekly reports on everything for the next three months, monthly budgets, the whole nine yards. It was all we could do to talk them out of putting some bureaucrat here to stand around with a clipboard and watch over our shoulders."

"Seriously?" Owen asked. "You two save the planet and they want to throw you under the bus?"

"We blew up an entire neighborhood of people in expensive homes, Owen. The public doesn't know they were converted aliens with freaky tech coming out of their arms, they know sixty people are dead in South Wales from a massive gas explosion."

"So what's the problem? Cost too much?"

"That's part of it," Jack replied. "They want oversight, accountability. What they don't understand is how much happens in the moment, out in the field. The minute Cell 114 revealed themselves, we had no choice. We had to stop them any way we could."

Owen fiddled with a few of his instruments. "Sounds tough, stopping them any way you could."

"If this is where you start checking up on my mental state, you can forget it," Jack told him. "I'm fine. It's Ianto you should worry about, that place about drove him mad."

"Oh, I'm definitely worried about him. He's an expert at suppressing things until he explodes, and it's clearly just hit him that he shot you in the head. But you're the expert at complete denial. You wreaked some pretty massive havoc out there and destroyed an entire neighborhood, not to mention an entire species. It's okay if it's hard to handle."

"Not really," Jack said. "I'm the boss, remember? I'm supposed to handle it."

"That's bullshit," Owen said. "You're allowed to hate it, you know."

"I do hate it," Jack said. "But I don't regret it, if that's what you're wondering. I'm not going to cry into my cups over the fact that I eliminated an entire race of alien invaders. There was no other choice."

"Exactly," Owen said with a nod. "No choice but to save the human race once again. Sometimes I wonder if we deserve it. Well, if you need anything, let me know. You're clear, though. No signs of alien tech, though it sounds like the trick with the resonator would have taken care of it."

"I think being shot took care of it first."

"Well, send the sharpshooter down so I can check him out and ask him some awkward questions too."

"I'm right here," said Ianto from the railing. "And I don't need any awkward questions."

* * *

As soon as Jack went downstairs with Owen, Ianto excused himself and hurried over to the coffee station, determined to avoid Tosh and Gwen and the questions he could see in their eyes. Plus he needed a few minutes alone after all the talking—well, complaining—that he'd done, not to mention the grim realization that he'd shot the person he'd spent the last month with and barely blinked an eye at the time.

To be fair, he'd hardly had a chance to think about it, between blowing up the neighborhood, cleaning up the fiasco, and defending it all to the bureaucrats at Whitehall. He and Jack had been so exhausted the night before that despite booking a posh hotel room in central London, they'd barely talked, had a quick shag, and then slept for ten hours straight. Which was why it hadn't quite hit Ianto until Jack had joked about it. He'd shot Jack in the head.

Handling the coffee maker more aggressively than usual, Ianto took a deep breath so he wouldn't ruin the brew. He wondered how Jack could possibly joke about something like being shot in the head. But that was Jack, wasn't it, always joking about something, even if it bothered him. But this was serious. This was murder.

As he slowly let out his breath, Ianto told himself no, it wasn't exactly murder, not with Jack. And it had been necessary. Jack had been compromised. He'd shown up with no idea how he'd got away, yet he had known everything about the sleeper cell. He'd had no plan for defeating them, lost all hope, and referred to his chin as his strong feature, not his jawline. And he'd called himself Captain Jack instead of Captain Jack _Harkness_—all signs that Jack had not been himself. He'd been affected by the satellite signal, and Ianto had shot him as much to stop him as to hopefully reset him. He hadn't stopped to wonder whether it worked; glancing down at his own forearm, he suddenly wondered if maybe Jack wasn't the only one converted in Serenity Plaza.

But then why hadn't they activated with the rest of the sleeper soldiers? They must have done something to Jack when they'd caught him. Neither of them had any tech, since they hadn't been killed when the sub-etheric resonator had gone off. Maybe they hadn't been there long enough. But what if they still had some of the programming, the alien genetic code within them? He had to tell Owen, had to make sure—

He turned around to hurry to the medical bay only to run right into Tosh. Thankfully he wasn't carrying a cup of hot coffee and stepped back, apologizing profusely.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly, keeping it between them. "You seemed upset."

"Well, not everyone gets to shoot their boss in the head," Ianto replied, putting as much false bravado behind it as he could, something he'd probably picked up from Jack. He didn't fool Tosh.

"You said people shouldn't shoot the people they're sleeping with," she said. "You didn't just shoot your boss, you shot Jack. He's not only your friend, he's your—"

"Don't say it," Ianto stopped her. "We're not married in real life, you know."

"I know, but you've also spent the last several weeks living together pretending to be a normal, happy couple. And then you shot him."

"And it sucked, but it happened," Ianto told her. "I'll be fine."

She obviously didn't believe him, from the skeptical look on her face. After a slight pause, during which he turned to start pouring the coffee, she turned on the cheery brightness in her voice and changed the subject. "Tell me about how you recalibrated the resonator. I'm very impressed!"

Which was when Ianto remembered he needed to tell Owen about the signal being broadcast by the satellites and how it might have affected them. "I'll tell you all about it, I promise," he said. "But I need to tell Owen what to look for first."

He handed her a cup of coffee and hurried to the medical bay. He heard Jack talking to the doctor.

"But I don't regret it, if that's what you're wondering. I'm not going to cry into my cups over the fact that I eliminated an entire race of alien invaders. There was no other choice."

Ianto wasn't sure how Jack felt; he wondered if Jack was being truthful, or if he was bluffing for Owen's sake. Jack hadn't wanted to press the transmission button, had been forced into it by Bob's refusal to cooperate and end it. But Jack was the one who made the hard decisions, who had made dozens of them over the years, and he had done it. He had saved the planet, and Ianto hoped Jack weighed that against the cost to his conscience.

Owen said something in reply, but Ianto didn't catch it. He could hear Jack loud and clear, however, and it made him cringe. "I think being shot took care of it first."

"Well, send the sharpshooter down so I can check him out and ask him some awkward questions too."

"I'm right here," Ianto told them, stepping forward so they didn't keep talking about him and what he'd done. "And I don't need any awkward questions."

"Fine, I'll only ask one," Owen said, crossing his hands over his chest. "If you thought Jack was compromised, how do we know you weren't as well?"

"You don't," Ianto replied, and Jack's face showed his surprise and worry, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "Except that my bones didn't melt, so I definitely don't have any alien tech. But you took DNA samples from the site, yeah?"

Owen stared at him, understanding immediately. "Shit. And yes, I did. Are you saying that satellite signal could have overwritten your DNA too while you were there?"

"I doubt it did completely," Ianto said, waving his hand around. "No stabby arm. But I'd rather know if I'm might grow a computerized implant one day."

"Bloody hell," Owen muttered. "Your turn, teaboy. I want that blood sample. And you're both confined to the Hub until we know for sure."

"Understood," Ianto murmured as he rolled up his sleeve and went downstairs. He sat down on the table next to Jack, who was staring down at his hands.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I got you into this, all of it."

"What?" Ianto said in surprise. "What do you mean you got me into this? It's not like you started the sleeper cell, or activated it, or—"

"But I put us on the case," Jack said, his voice still quiet as Owen worked nearby. "I suggested we go in undercover—buy the house, act like we were together, live there for weeks and weeks…" He trailed off with a sigh. "If something's happened to us, well...I'd never forgive myself for doing that to you. I'm sorry."

"Still not your fault," Ianto told him firmly, because he believed it. "It could have been any one of us out there, being exposed. And if we were, we'll figure it out. We've defeated them twice now, we can do it again."

Jack took his hand and squeezed, not caring if the others saw. "We can do anything together, right, boyfriend?"

"As long as you stop calling me that," Ianto murmured, but Jack laughed and leaned in to kiss him anyway, and Ianto found he didn't mind. He was too worried—about Whitehall, about shooting Jack, about their exposure to an alien sleeper cell. He'd take what comfort he could get, and when Owen turned around and made a face when he saw them, Ianto simply rolled his eyes and let the doctor start his tests, a small smile on his face.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a few of the things I wanted to explore— like the consequences of their actions in Serenity Plaza. The cleanup had to be huge, and with alien tech involved, there's no way they could have done it themselves and kept it covered up. And what would London think of such horrific destruction? Surely at some point they came down on Torchwood 3 and their rather unique ways of saving the planet. And then there is that satellite signal. I've listened to those parts many times and may or may not have the science right, but it's still something I wanted to play with: Jack's conversion and Ianto's exposure. Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jack spent the next several hours worrying about Owen's tests. He tried not to, knowing how unlikely it was that either of them were compromised in some way. Jack had died and likely reset any genetic changes, while Ianto hadn't show any signs, hadn't activated, nothing. Still, Jack worried, and the guilt continued to grow, that if something had happened to Ianto, it was his fault. Because he had taken Ianto out there, had left him in Serenity Plaza every day while working back at the Hub.

After parting ways in the medical bay, Jack retreated to his office, and Ianto to his archives. Maybe they should have waited for the results together, but they'd also spent so much time wih one another, particularly since they'd destroyed Cell 114, that being on their own to start processing the experience was probably just as important. And Jack knew there was a lot waiting for Ianto in the archives, from things they'd used while he was gone, to things they'd found, and everything they'd brought back. It could be a good distraction—or it could really piss him off. Fortunately, it did not take long for Owen to finish doing what he needed, and they met in the conference room downstairs.

"With the exception of one last result I'm still waiting on, every test I could think of running says they are exactly who they think they are," Owen announced two hours later. "I can state with reasonable confidence that no freaky alien parts are going to erupt from their arms and eviscerate us."

"And here I was looking forward to that part," Ianto muttered. The archives must have been worse than Jack thought.

"Thank you, Owen," Jack said, giving Ianto a firm look. The dry sarcasm was returning, and with Owen as a foil, Jack almost feared what verbal battles might take place now that they were back. He'd have to keep an eye on them—or let them blow off steam and learn their own lessons from it. He wasn't sure which.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jack continued, pulling up their files from Serenity Plaza. "Cell 114 is officially exterminated." He quickly summarized what had happened on their last day in the gated community, even though they'd all had the story in bits and pieces. He did not bring up being shot and glossed over how Ianto had set the houses to explode. He hoped that Gwen in particular did not object to his transmission of the signal that destroyed every member of Cell 114, and was relieved when she only offered a frown. Maybe it was his tone of voice that stopped her, because he was still reconciling his own conscience and didn't need her questioning his actions. Finally, he came to the meeting with John Frobisher in London.

"The Home Office has put us on probation. They want two reports a week, monthly budgets, the whole nine yards. One weekly report, from me—"

"Which means it's really from me," Ianto interjected.

"And _approved_ by me," Jack continued smoothly, ignoring the snort he heard from the general direction of the doctor. "And another from an impartial member of the team. Tosh, could you do it? Owen can't spell and Gwen dots her i's with hearts—"

"I do not!"

"I can use spellcheck, you know."

"Plus you don't argue with me nearly as much, and we need a more neutral party for our second report," Jack finished.

"That's fine, Jack," Tosh said. "I can do it. What are they looking for?"

Jack let Ianto answer; he could tell the other man was itching to vent. Maybe it had become a habit in Serenity Plaza.

"They're concerned about our unilateral decision making," Ianto said, his voice dry enough to start a wild fire. "And of course, the consequences of those decisions, particularly the financial impact." He paused. "And if they saw the state of our archives today, they'd likely shut us down."

"You mean we spend too much money?" Gwen asked, sounding surprised. "We're trying to protect the planet!"

"Apparently, we spend too much money dealing with the chaotic aftermath of saving the planet and then covering it up to prevent mass panic," Ianto replied. He was laying it on thick; Jack could almost hear his Welsh accent growing stronger. "We do tend to make a rather large mess out of things, our most recent case being a spectacular example. So they want to watch the purse strings, tweak our standard practices."

"When it comes down to it, they're questioning _my_ decisions in the field," Jack told them. "The rest of you don't need to worry, they've been looking for a way to boot me out for years."

"It was one of Yvonne's main goals," Ianto offered, and Jack gave him a look. Sometimes the snark was too much.

"So we play nice with the Home Office and make sure both our work and any expenses tied to it are by the book."

There was silence around the table. "Or what?" Owen finally asked. "They shut us down and let the bloody Weevils run wild? They can't get rid of us!"

"I know that and you know that," Jack replied. "And they do too. But they want to feel like they have some control, so we need to let them if we want to keep chasing Weevils."

"No one can control whether the Rift drops a herd of wooly mammoths in the middle of Millennium Stadium," Owen said. "They should let us deal with it since we are the most experienced."

"They want us to make sure we deal with the mammoths as inconspicuously and inexpensively as possible," Ianto answered. "With as little collateral damage as we can manage with something so large and unpredictable as a rift in space-time running straight through the city."

"All because you blew up the neighborhood," Owen said, shaking his head. "Honestly, it sounds like it's better off dead and gone."

"Owen!" It was Gwen, finally jumping to the defense of the other side; Jack was surprised it had taken her so long. "There were people there who had lives, who had loved ones that have lost them forever."

"They were aliens, Gwen," Ianto told her, sounding weary. "Genuine, psychopathic aliens, and with a sick sense of humor and bad taste in vodka, I might add."

"That doesn't mean we can't be more careful," she said.

"Gwen, if I'd been more careful out there, I'd probably be stabbing you with my arm right now," Ianto pointed out. His voice was light, yet Jack heard the tension of truth underneath.

"All right kids, that's enough. This is our sentence, three months of even more paperwork. We can handle it, and then they'll be out of our hair."

"Until the next time we save the world for them," Ianto muttered.

"And in the meantime," Jack continued, ignoring the remarks from his right. "We keep the tracking program running full time for any clicks, beeps, or whirs from any Cell 114 tech, new and old. I want to know the second we pick something up."

"There's been nothing since the explosion," Tosh said into the silence that greeted his directive. "So hopefully it was all destroyed by your satellite uplink."

"Hopefully," Jack agreed, but he still worried. He had gone through the ruins and searched for any survivors, finding only one and ending it quickly. He and Ianto had combed through the rubble of every home looking for alien tech, bringing it back to the Hub to be destroyed. And yet, this group seemed able to adapt, to survive, and Jack somehow knew it wasn't the last he'd seen of them. He also knew how easy it was for alien tech to fall into the wrong hands.

"Now, we can call it an early night as long as everything stays calm and quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Until then, find something productive to do." He stood and sent them out with a grin, quietly asking Ianto to stay back.

They watched the others leave, then Jack sat down again, motioning Ianto to join him. "How're you doing?" he asked.

"I'm officially me," Ianto replied. "So I suppose I'm good."

"Bit more snarky than usual," Jack offered as casually as he could. Ianto had been the same way the first time they'd encountered Cell 114, but that had been back when they were still trying to navigate their new relationship. "Archives that bad?"

"Even worse," Ianto said. "But I'll try to reign it in. Guess I haven't shook off our sojourn in the suburbs."

"About that…" Jack started. There were so many things he wanted to say about it, but he started with the most pressing. "Look, it's okay that you shot me. I'm not mad."

Ianto's face went blank. "Good to know you won't retaliate or something."

"That's not even funny." Jack frowned and leaned forward. "I'm serious. If I was compromised, if they activated me somehow and sent me back in as a distraction, then you did the right thing. You saved me, you saved yourself, and you saved the rest of the planet."

"And if you weren't?" Ianto's voice was flat, devoid of the emotion Jack suspected was lurking below, waiting to burst out in dry sarcasm—or worse. "What then? Good thing you're immortal and you popped back up?"

"Yes," Jack replied. "Exactly."

"That's rubbish and you know it," Ianto snapped. "People shouldn't have to shoot other people to make sure they're not aliens!"

"Sometimes you have to in this job," Jack shrugged. "You didn't have a choice."

"It's a rubbish choice," Ianto grumbled, then stopped and narrowed his eyes. "What would you have done if it had been me? If I'd been captured and activated?"

Jack pulled back, the thought terrifying. "I don't know," he admitted. "I would have stopped you somehow, and saved you."

"If you'd shot me, I'd be dead."

"I know that!" Jack snapped. "You think I don't know that?"

"I think it's unfair, that I can shoot you and you can't shoot me."

"That's ridiculous!" Jack exclaims. "And if it bothers you so much, don't shoot me again!"

Jack could literally see all the anger and bitterness deflate as Ianto slumped back into his chair, his face twisted with guilt. "I don't think I ever could," he whispered. "So please don't make me."

He stood and left the conference room without another word.

* * *

Ianto stared out of the dirty window in the tourist office, sipping a cup of tea because he didn't want to go back downstairs and make coffee. Because then he'd have to see Jack, or one of the others, and someone was bound to say something. About everything.

He tried to sort out his thoughts, prioritizing the things that were bothering him at that moment. The trip to London was a niggling annoyance, but he was fairly certain the Home Office would leave them alone. He was worried about the last test from Owen, convinced the delay meant something must be wrong with his DNA and that he was slowly turning into a sleeper agent. Which brought him to what Jack had said about stopping him, and saving him, and their awful confrontations about Ianto's shot to Jack's head. Was he upset about shooting Jack, or about the possibility of Jack shooting him one day, or both?

It was utterly ridiculous that he could watch a bullet go right through the head of the man he was sleeping with, then wait for Jack to revive, alive and well. But Ianto had reconciled that massive breach of normality and huge inequality in their relationship months ago. Or he thought he had. He frowned as he realized that it wasn't Jack dying so much as it had been his growing fear that one day Jack might not come back—and that if it had been that day, it would have been his fault. And regardless of how it happened, Ianto was not ready to lose Jack forever.

Which was perhaps the thing that was getting to him the most, and he sighed as he struggled to work through it. On the one hand, Serenity Plaza had been weeks of monotonous hell, forced to socialize with a group of people he'd never choose to be a part of, to act the part of a man he didn't want to be. And yet…no, he hadn't enjoyed the cooking, and definitely not the cleaning, and certainly not the lawn contest. Only maybe he had, a little, because it had all been with Jack.

It was only the fact that he'd been undercover with Jack that had kept him from running over every lawn in the estate with their muddy car. If he'd been alone, or with Tosh—or god forbid, Owen—then he'd definitely be on Forensic Files. But Jack had grounded him throughout the assignment, because that's what Jack did: kept him out of his head, mostly. And Jack had provided more than enough distraction after the long tedious days home alone.

Yet it wasn't those distractions that Ianto found himself thinking about most; they'd always got up to that sort of thing. No, it was the quiet moments together: having dinner, even if they argued about the washing up; sleeping in on the weekend; watching telly at night. All things they occasionally did at Ianto's flat together, but not every day, every night. Most of their time together was spent at work, chasing aliens and sneaking around the Hub for their distractions.

Jack had admitted he'd wanted to try out the normal life, but that it hadn't been what he'd expected. Ianto had never considered it, not since coming back to Cardiff, and would forever shudder at the memory of Serenity Plaza, but now that it was over…now he felt different about it. Maybe he could do something like that with Jack, only somewhere far less annoying. Someplace closer to the city, where they could both keep their jobs and continue chasing Weevils and saving the planet, but occasionally spend a weekend fixing up the spare room, or working in the garden, or soaping up the car…

Shaking his head, Ianto put it from his mind. No, he'd probably get just as tired of a real normal life as he had of the fake normal life of Serenity Plaza. Jack had said it wasn't what he'd expected, so he'd never go for it anyway. Ianto was still surprised Jack had suggested it in the first place, until he thought about how long Jack had been with Torchwood, how long he had sacrificed himself for the world. More than anyone, Jack deserved something solid, something real. A place in the world he literally died saving time and time again. And Ianto…well, he hadn't earned it, not yet. He'd probably done more wrong than good. And even if he wanted something more from life, he was too tied to Torchwood now, and too bound to Jack.

Jack, whom he'd left downstairs after storming out in a huff. Jack, whom he'd rolled pasta for and done bake sales with. Jack, whom he'd shot to stop him destroying the world, whom he'd killed to save. It always came back to Jack, had since the moment he'd met the man in a dark park less than two years ago. And that was what bothered him and scared him: not losing Jack, but loving Jack.

Because Jack was forever, and Ianto wasn't. Jack would leave one day, and Ianto wouldn't. Or Ianto would die, and Jack would live.

It was doomed from the start, if Ianto wanted to be melodramatic about it. Which he'd always pointedly avoided with the "it is what it is" argument that never quite defined what it was between them. Ianto had tried to keep it casual, though, and Jack had seemed to agree. Moments of something more, particularly over the last several months, always ended awkwardly. Including their stay in Serenity Plaza.

Unless they didn't end it.

"Bloody hell," he said out loud when he realized what it meant, where his thoughts, and possibly his heart, were taking him. But before he had a chance to snuff it out or actually consider it, there was a call on the comms.

"Gwen and I are taking a Rift alert," Jack said. "Small blip over in Cathays Cemetery. Should be back in an hour."

"I'm not cooking dinner," Ianto said automatically. He could almost hear the frown in Jack's voice.

"I wasn't going to ask," he said. "You deserve a break from the kitchen."

"Bloody right I do," Ianto muttered. He honestly was looking forward to eating half his meals out again if it meant he didn't have to shop, cook, and do the washing every damn day.

"We'll see how long it takes and maybe we can order something in," Jack said. "Or take an early night."

"I think I'd like an early night," Ianto said, suddenly wanting to go home, get back to his flat and see what a disaster it was after being away so long. At least it was his disaster, and at least he could avoid thinking about the last month while he cleaned—or think about it alone. "No idea what my flat is going to be like, but it'll be nice to have my own stuff back."

"Speaking of which, we're going to have to call the rental company about our house," Jack said.

"I'll call tomorrow," Ianto said. "I don't want to think about it anymore today. I want some peace and quiet from bloody neighbors and explosions and politicians for one night."

There was a pause. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Ianto said, exasperated because they kept asking the same question, and they kept giving the same answer, when it was clearly the wrong one for both of them. "Just itching to get back to normal," he added. "Our normal."

"Our normal." Jack laughed, but it was forced. "Our not-so-normal normal, you mean. When you think about it, Serenity Plaza wasn't exactly normal either."

"Not when the lot of them turned out to be aliens," Ianto replied. "I guess not."

"All right, Gwen's finally ready," – there was grumbling in the background, Ianto was sure—"so we're off. Why don't you finish up there and head home soon? It's been a long forty-eight hours."

"It usually is around here," Ianto replied. "But I don't want to leave early when I've just got back."

"I'll call if any other Rift alerts come through and we need you," Jack said. "But you haven't been home in a month, you deserve it."

"All right," Ianto replied. "Thank you, but call if you need to." He wasn't sure what else to say and signed off, sipping his tea again even though it was cold. He frowned, flexing his hand as he felt a soreness in his right arm. It was probably the blood draw, or maybe he had been clutching his teacup for too long, too hard. Well, at least he could go downstairs now and make some coffee, as long as Tosh didn't want to talk again. Or, god forbid, Owen. And then he would go home, like Jack had suggested. Maybe he'd pick up a curry on the way, or walk to his local after cleaning up.

It would be strange to go home without Jack, though. Ianto felt like he should say something, ask Jack if he at least wanted to get something to eat. Then again, they'd spent weeks eating together, sleeping together, and waking up together, so one night apart wasn't the end of the world. It would probably be good for them, wouldn't it? At least Ianto could remember what it was like, being on his own in his small flat. He could decide whether the crazy thought—_unless they didn't end it—_was actually something to consider.

Could he and Jack live together while working for Torchwood? In Serenity Plaza, Jack had gone to work while Ianto studied the estate blueprints, spied on the neighbors, and tended all the things that needed tending to keep up with their cover. Could they see each other every day at work and then go home and eat and sleep and spend every other waking moment together?

He hadn't minded a lot of things, but so much of it had been a lie, he wasn't sure how to live a normal life that wasn't. Besides, would Jack even be interested? He'd said the same thing, that maybe they'd got so used to their Torchwood lives they didn't want anything else. Which was sad, in a way, but Ianto suspected it was true. He didn't want a perfect lawn and bake sales and neighborhood barbecues, but a home to share…to share with Jack? He might want that.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Of course Gwen tried to talk to him in the car, just like she'd been trying to talk to him for weeks, hoping to find out more about his time in Serenity Plaza. At first, she'd been subtle, but when he'd remained tight-lipped about it, she'd hit him with more and more direct questions, and now she blasted him with concern. Was he okay after watching it all be destroyed? How was he adjusting to being back? What happened with Ianto and how could he shoot you and were they going to be okay?

Jack gave her clipped answers until she finally stopped when they arrived at the cemetery. Fortunately, it turned out their rift alert was nothing but a piece of space junk, well hidden in a large clump of overgrown rose briar. Jack's coat protected him from the worst of the thorns, so he grabbed it, threw it in a containment box even though he was fairly sure it was a remote control of some sort, and they left the cemetery less than ten minutes later.

Unfortunately, a Weevil was sighted not far from them, so Jack took them over toward Splott Park, where they spent more time searching for the rogue Weevil than the space junk. It was unusual for them to come out during the day, but not unheard of, and they finally found a younger one hiding in a copse of trees, as if waiting for the sun to go down. They had a bit of a chase, but Jack tackled it and Gwen quickly stunned it before it could claw, bite, or try to kill him. He wished it was Ianto running with him; he looked good in a suit, but even better running through the estate neighborhood.

After catching their breath, they released the small Weevil into a nearby sewer and started back to the Hub. Jack glanced at the clock in the SUV; it was only a little past their regular dinner time—well, the time he and Ianto had always sat down to eat at Serenity Plaza—so he called the Hub to check in. Tosh told him Ianto had gone home not long ago. Trying not to sound disappointed, Jack suggested ordering dinner for the three of them, but Gwen shook her head; she had plans with Rhys. Tosh seemed hesitant, but said Italian would be nice if he wanted company, and he was glad he wouldn't be eating alone on his first night back.

He wondered if Ianto were okay, or if something were bothering him. Did he want to go home and have some time to himself, or was he avoiding Jack after spending so much time with him? While Jack could certainly understand the former, he hoped it wasn't the latter, and he found himself disappointed not to be having dinner with Ianto, or spending the night at the other man's flat getting reacquainted with the small bed and even smaller shower.

Hopefully it didn't have to do with shooting him. Jack got it, he did. He didn't like it, since it brought up bad memories of being betrayed by other lovers, yet his logical mind recognized that Ianto hadn't betrayed him, hadn't sold him out; Ianto had simply seen a threat and tried to eliminate it, for his safety, for Jack's, and for the fate of the world.

Had he been converted? Jack didn't know…his memories were fuzzy. He remembered being taken, and beaten, and then making his way to where Ianto had been hiding. But how had he escaped? He didn't remember. That had been Ianto's first clue. Other memories were equally vague, something about sacrificing themselves, which Jack would never have done, not with Ianto. He would have sent Ianto to safety first. He hoped Ianto knew that and had recognized it as another clue.

There were more hazy images, and then Ianto pulling a gun on him. Blackness, and waking up with a gasp to find Ianto looking more frightened than he'd seen him in a long time, unusually stressed out and berating him to resurrect faster next time. He remembered everything after that, so maybe Ianto had been right, and Jack had been compromised and sent back in to distract him. The realization made him worry more about Ianto: about his exposure to the alien signal, and his mental state after shooting Jack. They'd get through it, though. He knew they would. They were stronger, together—and it was not something Jack wanted to give up on so easily.

He wasn't sure he wanted to give up the so-called normal life, either. Yes, life in Serenity Plaza had been an epic lie, yet maybe they could live their everyday Torchwood lives together somewhere else. At least, more together than work and several nights a week. Maybe Jack could drop some hints; he'd never invite himself to move in, and they would certainly never try a managed estate again, but maybe they could look for a bigger flat for the two of them, or even a semi-detached house, with a small garden. Maybe Ianto wouldn't hate barbecues if the team came and didn't make any sex jokes.

Ianto had _really_ hated those barbeques, though. And the baking and the lawn contest and almost everything else about living in Serenity Plaza. Maybe he wasn't interested in that kind of life. Maybe he'd truly become a Torchwood soldier, which made Jack wonder how much he'd had to do with that—if it was his fault by hiring Ianto, keeping him on after Lisa's death, dating him.

Jack suspected that if he asked Ianto about it, about finding a new place together, he'd be solidly rejected, quite possibly laughed at, and possibly even pitied. That didn't usually stop him from going after something he wanted, but this was different. Perhaps he was still halfway stuck in the fantasy of Serenity Plaza; perhaps a few nights apart to think it through would do him good. Yet after a month of living together, Jack didn't think he'd change his mind. And he wasn't looking forward to spending the night alone.

"Jack? Jack, did you hear anything I said?" It was Gwen, looking at him funny from the passenger side of the car.

"What?" He'd been completely lost in his thoughts. "Sorry, concentrating on the road."

"No, you weren't," she said.

"Deciding what I want for dinner?"

"Doubt it, you always get the same thing from Tony's," she said. He shrugged and turned toward the Hub.

"Fine," he said. "I was thinking about Serenity Plaza, wondering what it might have been like if they hadn't all turned out to be aliens."

She didn't reply right away, before turning and piercing him with a look, the kind that demanded answers. "Did you like it?" she asked. "Living a normal life there?"

"It was definitely _not_ normal," Jack started, but she shook her head.

"But it wasn't Torchwood either. It was a house, and a partner. Going home after work, being together on the weekends, hanging out with the neighbors—"

"It was also fighting about the washing, or the toilet seats, and worrying about a wilted lawn or a dirty car, pretending to be someone else at every neighborhood event—it wasn't exactly a picnic in the park, Gwen."

"Was it really as horrible as Ianto found it?" she asked. "You didn't seem to hate it when you came to the Hub every day."

"Ianto had to stay back," he reminded her. "He was the one on the ground, looking into the neighbors by getting to know them. He had the harder part of the job by far."

She didn't answer right away. "Did you like living with him?" she asked. "I mean, it couldn't have been all bad, being able to go home and cook together, sit on the sofa and watch telly at night, go out on the weekends. Relax. It sounds nice," she finished.

He shook his head. "You would have been bored, like Ianto." Before she could protest, he continued. "I'm serious. You've both got too much Torchwood in you. White picket fences are not for you."

"And they are for you?" she asked. "You're doing a remarkable job of not answering my questions, you know."

"I know." He winked at her and she huffed in return.

"I'm serious, Jack. Did you like it, being with someone every day, having a life away from Torchwood?"

He pulled into the car park by the Hub, stopped the car in their regular space, and turned toward her. "I did like it, at times. And I liked being there with Ianto, though you wouldn't believe how cheeky he gets when he's frustrated and pissed off. And I do like the idea of a life away from Torchwood, of course I do. Remember, I've been doing this for decades."

He got out of the car and Gwen followed, walking fast to catch up with him. "Then why not try it? Buy a house, move out of the Hub, find a someone to share it with—"

"I have someone," he interrupted. "And I don't need a house to have a life away from Torchwood."

"But do you?" she asked. "Have a life away from Torchwood?"

"I'm happy with what I have, Gwen," he told her, his voice firm even though he did want more after seeing what it could be.

"I'm not suggesting—" she started, then swore. "Look, if you want it, there's no reason you can't have it with Ianto. Rhys and I have managed to work it out, you can too."

"Rhys doesn't work for Torchwood," Jack replied as they entered the Hub.

"Maybe that's what you both need, something away from Torchwood," she said. "I know Ianto didn't like Serenity Plaza, but like you said, it wasn't normal. Maybe someplace closer to the Hub, someplace—"

"Where the neighbors don't try to take over the planet?" Jack suggested dryly.

"Exactly!" she said. She went to her station and grabbed a few things before shutting it down. "It's something to think about, isn't it? You can't have spent a month out there and not even consider it!"

"Consider what?" asked Tosh, coming up from the medical bay.

"Gwen thinks I should find a new Serenity Plaza," Jack told her cheerfully. "Alien free, of course."

"With teaboy?" Owen followed Tosh. "Because that's all sorts of strange and bizarre."

"We did just spend a month living together, Owen," Jack pointed out.

"So you're thinking of finding a real house, here in Cardiff?" Tosh asked. "With Ianto?"

"No, I'm not thinking about it at all!" Jack told them, even though he was, he'd been thinking about it all day. "Gwen is thinking about it for me."

"I don't think Ianto liked shacking up," Owen said. "How would you convince him to try again?"

"I don't have to convince him, because it's not happening," Jack said, exasperated by the turn of the conversation.

"That's good, because the two of you skipping into the Hub holding hands with a basket of muffins would be too much. I'd probably go bury myself in a cemetery."

"Owen!" Gwen and Tosh exclaimed at the same time. Jack laughed.

"Muffin Mondays. I like it, let's do it. You bring the first batch." He turned and walked into his office while Owen shouted after him.

"I can't eat, you prick!"

Laughing, Jack hung up his coat and sat down behind his desk. He heard Gwen call out goodbye and leave through the cog door. Putting up his feet, Jack sighed and was about to wallow in it when Tosh came in.

"Are we still on for dinner?" she asked. "You didn't make plans with Ianto?"

"He said earlier he wanted to get his flat sorted out," Jack replied. "So we're on as long as you don't badger me about Serenity Plaza. Gwen's already done that."

"She really thought you should move in with Ianto?" Tosh asked.

"She really did," Jack told her. "What do you want for dinner?"

"I already ordered our usual," she replied. "And do _you_ want to move in with Ianto?"

"I'm not sure we're cut out for that life, Tosh," Jack said, dodging the answer. "We're soldiers." He shook a finger at her. "Now, we agreed to no badgering, or dinner's off."

"_You _agreed to no badgering," she said. "But that's fine. I can always gossip with Gwen tomorrow."

"Fine," he laughed. "Better than hounding me."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll still hound you, at least until you go look at something." Tosh gave him a sympathetic smile. "Which might not be a bad idea. Now, I'm going to go upstairs and wait for our dinner, and when I get back, will you please tell me how you and Ianto recalibrated all our equipment and blew up a ship in orbit?"

Jack nodded and laughed. "Absolutely. Thanks, Tosh."

As soon as she went upstairs, Jack turned to his computer. While he wasn't about to drag Ianto out house hunting just to get the girls off his case, he could still look and see what was out there for two men who didn't need much to be happy together.

* * *

Ianto let himself into his flat, feeling like something was off. Maybe it was because he'd not unlocked the door for a month, or maybe it was because Jack wasn't there, waiting impatiently behind him. Both of which made sense and both of which he could handle. He needed to get used to his small flat again, as well as living on his own.

Setting his recovered belongings down by the door, Ianto glanced around the flat, expecting it to be dusty and disorganized. He'd not picked up much before they'd left for Serenity Plaza, and he hadn't been back since. Yet the living room looked neater than it had before he'd left. Everything was in order, clean and organized without a speck of dust anywhere, and he half wondered if he _had_ come back and brought Ifan with him to tidy up.

Moving slowly into the kitchen and dining area, he was just as surprised to find it equally clean. The bed was made, there was no washing to be done, and the bathroom…when was the last time he'd cleaned it? Why was it practically sparkling, with matching blue hand towels to boot?

He wondered if Tosh had come by, if Jack had given her a key to tidy up, or maybe Gwen. But the blue towels…no, only Jack could have done that, but why? And when? It looked recent, but he couldn't have managed it after Serenity Plaza went up in flames, which meant he must have done it at some point during the previous week, when he drove into the Hub for work. Once again Ianto wondered why, a funny feeling in his chest he refused to acknowledge.

With a sigh he unpacked the things they'd recovered from their ruined house, dumping the clothes in the wash and contemplating taking a hammer to the alarm clock. He put the lawn award on his fridge, opened it to find it empty except for a few condiments and beer, and grabbed himself a drink. He was hungry, but hadn't stopped for anything, and there weren't even stale crisps in the cabinets, so he flipped through some take away menus as he sat at the table.

But he didn't want a curry, or a pizza, or a salad. He went into the living room, looked around, then the bedroom, then back to the kitchen. Restless, he realized that while he was back home in his flat, there was nothing to clean, nothing to sort, nothing to do. He didn't _want_ to be there right then, so he changed his clothes, grabbed his coat, and headed back out, less than an hour after he'd got home.

His feet took him to his local pub, The Silver Quill, where he hesitated a moment outside the door. He hadn't been there for over a month and didn't want to be hit with a flurry of questions the moment he walked in the door. Mostly because he couldn't answer them, any of them. Where had he been for so long? 'Living undercover with my boss as a happily married couple while routing out a cell of genocidal aliens trying to take over humanity' was not only classified, but preposterous. It even sounded ridiculous to him and he'd lived it for a month.

Then Cadi waved at him, and Jake and Gareth and Cerys, and Ianto knew he couldn't leave. He'd have to lie, which he'd already been doing for a month so what was a few more? It would be good to talk to normal people who didn't panic at the sight of mud on the tires of their car, or fuss over lawns and kebabs. Maybe this was exactly what he needed, instead of sitting around his flat, alone for the first night in weeks.

"Ianto!" Jake exclaimed as he walked toward their table. He stood and offered his hand. "Welcome back to the land of living, mate!" The welcome was echoed around and before he knew it Gareth was pressing a pint into his hand.

"Where've you been?" he asked. "You disappear for a month, and then show up looking buff and tan!"

"Wait, what?" Ianto asked, confused about the last comment, but the others were nodding in agreement.

"You've missed half the Six Nations!" Jake said. "Didn't have you down for skipping out on England and Wales!"

"Wales did brilliant without me," Ianto replied, since he had made sure to follow the games, however furtively as Serenity Plaza hadn't been big on rugby.

"So where have you been, Ianto?" asked Cadi. "Is everything all right? Is your mum okay?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Ianto replied, touched that she remembered anything about his family. "Business trip. Long one." What he would give to see the look on their faces if he could only tell them half the story.

"Must have been somewhere warm and sunny!" said Sara. "With a gym."

Yes, they'd had a small workout room at the house, and yes, Ianto had used it, and yes, he'd gone running almost every morning to scope out the neighborhood, but had it made that much of a difference? The team hadn't said anything. Ianto wondered how his next Weevil chase might go, and found himself looking forward to it.

"Not that warm, but some sun," he replied. Yes, he had spent a lot more time outdoors, tending the bloody lawn or working in the garden, which was probably why he had some color. Apparently leaving the Hub for more than a few hours at a time had its benefits.

"Good trip, then?" she asked.

"It was," he said, and found he meant it. It had been good, most of the time, to be with Jack. "Glad to be back, though. So what've I missed around here?"

He spent the next hour steering any conversation about his trip back to whatever he had missed. It was interesting, in a way, to hear about their normal, everyday lives, yet he wished he could share his experience at giving it a try. But he couldn't, like he couldn't tell them he knew how to shoot aliens and blow up a house.

Which came up not long after, when a local news program updated the investigation and clean up into a horrific gas explosion at a gated community in South Wales. Most of the conversation kept going, but Ianto found himself staring at the television, frowning as he experienced an awful moment of discombobulation. He'd been there, he'd _done_ that, and yet here he was sitting in a pub watching the lie on television. And he was by himself, even if he was surrounded by people, because no one knew that he'd been there, that he'd survived; no one knew he'd saved them all.

Except Jack.

Standing abruptly, Ianto apologized for jostling the table, and for leaving so soon, but he'd remembered something at work and he had to take care of it before he forgot again and as long as he was back in town he'd probably see them again later in the week so have a good night— and he walked out, leaving the normal life behind.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like posting on even numbered days better than odd numbered days, so here's another update. I also want to finish this one and move on to other (spoiler-free) stories. I'd love to know what you think now that this one about halfway done. If Ianto's pub and friends sound familiar, they are from my story 'Just Another Night'. Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"And that is how we blew up the neighborhood, melted every sleeper agent in the area, and saved the world!" Jack finished, mumbling over a mouthful of bread.

"That was quite clever," Tosh said. She nodded thoughtfully. "I'm impressed with how Ianto was able to recalibrate the resonator to work against the new Cell 114 technology."

"Not to mention setting off an explosion with, and I quote, 'an alarm clock, some cleaning products, garden fertilizer, and a cheeky can of petrol.''"

Tosh laughed at Jack's attempt at a Welsh accent. "For some reason, I'm not surprised about that one. I'm not surprised about any of it. We don't give Ianto enough credit for how much he knows. And neither does he."

Jack agreed completely. Ianto had a self-doubting nature, so much that Jack sometimes wondered if Ianto was confident about anything other than making coffee. Every time Ianto did something amazing, he wondered if it was the right thing, or good enough, and seemed convinced he'd done something wrong instead. Even if it was saving the world.

"And then you were able to transmit it," Tosh continued. "That was clever too, sending it through the satellite uplink to destroy them with their own methods."

"Torchwood teamwork at its best," Jack grinned.

"You and Ianto work really well together, you know," Tosh said, and Jack could see where she was going before she even started to go there.

"Yes, we do," Jack said. "Especially when several dozen homicidal aliens are chasing you down the street."

"Hmm." Tosh ate some of her chicken parmesan and took a long sip of water. "But I think it's more than that, don't you?"

"Tosh—"

"Why are you eating dinner here?" she asked, more blunt than usual. "Why aren't you with Ianto?"

"Because we've had dinner together every night for the past month," Jack told her. "One night apart isn't going to kill us, it's probably good for us. Ianto wasn't kidding when he said he was going stir-crazy out there."

"But you liked it," Tosh said.

Jack thought about his answer. "I thought I would, and at times I did, but it wasn't always what I thought it would be."

"That's because they were aliens," Tosh pointed out. "You could always try again in a completely human neighborhood." She paused. "With less rules, since I'm sure it was exhausting keeping you in line."

"Hey!" Jack thought about it and realized she was probably right. It wasn't so much that Jack had wanted to break all the rules—although he had suggested a lawn full of plastic flamingo ornaments—it was more that Ianto was the one who had made sure they adhered to all the rules and expectations of the estate in order to keep their cover. And while Ianto was naturally drawn to order, it had clearly been too much for even him.

"You should talk to Ianto about it," Tosh said.

"About what?"

"Moving in together, of course."

"Did Gwen put you up to this?"

Tosh smiled as she finished the last of her dinner. "Not at all. I've been listening to your stories for the last month. I saw the look on your face when Ianto was talking about Serenity Plaza. And I don't want you to give up on the idea when I know you liked being there with him."

"I'm not giving up on anything," Jack told her. "But I'm not going to make any rash decisions my first night back."

"Fair enough," she said. "But I know you were looking at houses online."

His eyes widened in surprise. "I was not! And how would you know anyway?"

"You didn't hide the screen fast enough when I came back down," she laughed. "I won't tell, don't worry. Now, since Gwen and Ianto have gone home, I think I'm going to go as well, unless you need me for anything?"

"No, go home and have a good night, Tosh." They stood and took their food out to the rubbish bin in the main area. "Is Owen still here?"

"I'm still here!" the doctor called up. "And still working on that last result."

Jack and Tosh exchanged a worried glance and went to the railing to talk to Owen.

"What's the problem?" Owen had tested them for any signs of alien DNA, any changes at all due to their exposure to the satellite signal that had converted the other residents of Serenity Plaza. He had cleared them from the quarantine he had set, had even declared that they were, in fact, completely themselves. He'd been waiting on one last test, however, and it seemed it was not going well. Jack's earlier worries returned in full force.

"Nothing's coming up," Owen told them. "Good or bad, right or wrong. I keep getting an error message, and I can't figure out if it's the equipment, the settings, or the DNA itself."

"I can help," Tosh offered immediately.

"It's fine, Tosh," Owen said. "I'm running it with one last adjustment, and if it keeps coming up blank, I'll start over in the morning."

"You sure about that?" Jack asked. "Because if there's a problem, I don't want to wait."

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure you're both fine," Owen said. "And at this point, I'd want another blood draw to eliminate any contamination issues. Go on home, Tosh. I'll let you know if you can tinker with it in the morning."

"All right," she said, sounding reluctant. "But call me if you need anything before then."

He waved at them and turned back to his machines. Tosh looked worried as she gathered her things to leave, which gave Jack the perfect excuse to walk out with her. Not that he needed one, since he was worried too. He went back into his office and grabbed his coat, meeting her at the cog door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, then gave him a look. "You're going to see Ianto, aren't you?"

"Thought you might like it if I checked up on him," he said as they went upstairs. "You look worried."

"And you look lost," she tossed back. "What happened to one night apart? It's good for you?"

"I'm just going to check on him," Jack protested. "Then I'll leave him alone. Find a roof or something."

"Right," she murmured, but she was smiling as they stepped into the tourist office to find Ianto there, rubbing his arm and staring at them in surprise.

* * *

Ianto left the pub and stepped out into the cool night air, breathing deep to clear his mind of the noise and the drinks and the general sense of not belonging. Because he did belong, didn't he? He'd been going to that pub since Jack had run off with the Doctor. It was one of his only tethers to the real world, the one where rugby mattered and aliens didn't exist. Only now he'd been gone for a month, living a lie on top of a lie, and it all felt so _wrong_. Was Jack right, and they were nothing but soldiers now? Torchwood drones, forgoing friends and family to save the world one sleeper cell at a time? Was that what he wanted?

His feet were carrying him in the direction of the Hub, but it would take him too long to walk, so he called for a cab and directed them toward the bay. He wasn't sure why he was going to the Hub or what he would say, but he knew one thing: the Hub was as much his home as his flat, and right now even more so, because Jack was there.

That's what was missing, what was off, what was wrong. It was ridiculous, not being able to have a night to himself. But he'd spent so much time with Jack in the fake world of Serenity Plaza, that maybe he needed time with Jack in _their_ world, the world of Torchwood and the Hub and Ianto's small flat with the mismatched towels and tiny kitchen. And it was possible he wanted more. Someplace bigger and nicer, someplace of their own. Together.

But he knew Jack wouldn't be interested, he'd practically said as much when their fake house had burned down. So Ianto would not ask, he'd tell Jack he had forgotten something. He'd thought of it at the pub and didn't want to forget before morning. What had he forgotten? He couldn't think of anything, and almost leaned forward to tell the driver to take him home, but then the car stopped on the Plass, and it was too late. Ianto paid him and stepped out; he was there, so he may as well go inside.

He let himself into the tourist office, but started pacing to let out his nervous energy. What was he nervous about anyway? Being rejected if he said something? Or Jack actually saying yes? He rubbed at his arm where it was bothering him again, shaking it a few times to try and get rid of the feeling of pins and needles settling in.

Which was when Jack and Tosh came out of the lift passage, stopping in surprise when they saw him.

"Ianto!" Tosh exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Oh," he said, waving his hand about and feeling ridiculous at being caught. He went with his original plan. "It's fine, I'm fine. I forgot something, wanted to come back before I forgot again."

"What did you forget?"

He stared at her, then smiled sheepishly as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "Don't remember."

"Well, this is perfect, because Jack was on his way to see you," she said, an amused look on her face. "I'll leave you to it and see you tomorrow!" She gave him a quick hug, which surprised him, then left without another word.

"So," said Ianto, not sure what to say now that he was caught in an awkward position. Then again, so was Jack. "You were on your way to see me?"

"Well, yeah," Jack said, looking equally uncomfortable. "Thought I'd check on you. Tosh was worried."

"She was?" Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Didn't seem like it just now."

"Fine, I wanted to see how you were doing back at your flat after a month," Jack admitted. "Everything okay there?"

Ianto nodded, thinking back to his unusually clean place. "Better than okay. Did you clean up?"

"Oh." Jack cocked his head, looking both thoughtful and worried. "I did if you liked it. If not, it was Gwen."

"I did," Ianto laughed. "So you can admit it. The blue towels gave it away."

Jack grinned with him. "They're just for pretty, though. I hope you didn't actually use them."

"I didn't stick around long enough," Ianto admitted. "There was nothing to clean and sort out, so I went down to my local to get something to eat."

"And now you're here. Did you really forget something, or..." He trailed off, leaving it wide open for Ianto to either stuff his foot in his mouth and swallow, or take the risk and confess his thoughts.

"It felt strange, being away from the Hub and out in the real world after the month we had." He shrugged. "And then I saw the story on the news, and realized we were the ones who caused it, and sitting there pretending to be shocked…it didn't feel right."

"It's normal, though, isn't it?" Jack asked. "Going down to the pub for a pint, talking with people who have no idea aliens even exist let alone prowl the streets after dark."

"We've got our own normal," Ianto replied. "And I like it. I wouldn't mind a bit of the other, though—"

He was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door to the tourist office, startling them both. For a moment, he stared at Jack, until it occurred to him that it was probably Tosh, coming back for some reason. He raised a questioning eyebrow, Jack nodded, and Ianto went to open the door.

It wasn't Tosh.

It was Vanessa, the old woman from Serenity Plaza.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, not exactly. But it's a fun cliffhanger, I hope!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Jack stared at the woman standing in the doorway to the tourist office. It looked like Vanessa, the haughty old woman from Serenity Plaza—only fifty years younger. She had the same piercing eyes, the same pointed nose, but her long hair was still dark, her face young and unwrinkled. The resemblance was almost uncanny.

"Sorry," Ianto said, throwing Jack a wide-eyed look over his shoulder; he must have seen the resemblance as well. "I'm afraid the tourist office is closed, so—"

"I think we all know this isn't a tourist office," the woman said, and even her voice sounded like Vanessa, only stronger, younger. "I'm looking for Torchwood and I know this is it."

Jack stepped forward, flashing his smile. "Sorry ma'am, you must have us mixed up with someone else. And we were just about to leave, so if you don't mind—"

"I do mind," she said. She really did sound just like Vanessa, straightforward and sharp, but far more sober. "I need your help."

"We're not in the business of general help," Jack said.

"We have a very specific skill set," Ianto added. "Including the ability to refer you elsewhere."

She pulled up her sleeve to reveal dimpled, deformed skin, almost like a burn; not the glowing implant of the sleeper agents, but too similar to be a coincidence.

"Shit," murmured Ianto, exchanging a glance with Jack.

"Does this fit your skill set?" she demanded.

"That depends," Jack replied. "Have you seen a doctor?" He slipped his hand to his gun, trying to remain casual, but the woman saw it and stepped back, the first sign of nerves in her otherwise confident demeanor.

"I don't need a doctor," she said. "I need _your _help."

"What do you think we can do for you?" Ianto asked quietly. Jack felt them slide into the good cop/bad cop routine. Jack would remain dark and threatening, while Ianto would gain her trust with understanding and calm.

"Fix it," she said. "I know it's not normal. I know _they_ weren't normal, all of them. It's why you were there, in Serenity Plaza, isn't it?" Ianto exchanged another glance with Jack, who nodded but did not relax. If this woman was from Serenity Plaza, and had somehow escaped, he needed to stay alert while Ianto talked to her. They also needed Owen, and Jack tapped his earpiece, his eyes never leaving the dark-haired girl. She met his gaze with equal amounts of confidence and fear.

"Owen, can you join us upstairs please? With the recalibrated scanner?" He turned back toward the woman. "What's your name?"

"My name is Victoria. My grandmother, Vanessa Evans, lived in Serenity Plaza. I lived with her for several months, until I moved back to Cardiff about six weeks ago. If I hadn't, I'd probably be dead like the rest of them." Jack did not say anything, but let Ianto take the lead. He seemed to automatically fall back into the role of Ifan, his eyes softening, his accent deepening.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Evans," he said. "I know you must be upset about the explosion—"

"If that's what really happened," she interrupted. "I know you were there. As soon as I heard the news, I drove over. I waited all night, and I was there yesterday while you were cleaning up. I saw you!"

She was growing agitated, her initial forwardness beginning to falter into uncertainty in the face of their continued denial to admit anything. Ianto was about to speak when Owen stepped into the room.

"What do you need the—" He cut himself off, apparently sensing the tension in the air. "Hello," he said, nodding at Victoria before turning aside to Jack and lowering his voice. "What's going on?"

"Scan her," Jack said, still remaining distant and gruff. It wasn't hard, as he was worried. Beth Halloran had appeared safe and innocent like Victoria, just as unaware, and they'd learned their lesson the hard way that sleeper agents were buried deep.

"For what?" Owen asked, bringing the scanner up.

"Cell 114 technology," Ianto replied quietly, earning him a sharp glance from the doctor.

"You're joking."

"Her arm first," said Ianto. Victoria glanced at him in alarm, and he went into full caregiver mode, resting his hand on her shoulder in comfort. "It's all right, Owen's a doctor. He's just going to take a look with one of our special instruments."

"So you do have the right skill set after all?" she asked, her voice dry.

"Perhaps," he murmured. "What made you think we could help you?"

Owen ran his scanner over her arm and shook his head; Jack relaxed slightly, crossing his arms over his chest and maintaining his persona with a frown. Victoria glanced at him, then focused on Ianto as Owen continued his scan.

"I told you, I saw you there, after the explosion. Everyone from Cardiff knows the black flash SUV belongs to Torchwood. And that Torchwood investigates the weird stuff."

"How did you find us?" asked Jack.

She hesitated, and Ianto offered a smile. "We obviously need to work on our cover," he offered. "Did you follow us back?"

"No," she said. "I used the internet. You wouldn't believe the things people say about Torchwood online."

Owen snorted before stepping back with a confident nod. "She's clear."

"Clear of what?" she demanded.

"What about her arm then?" Jack asked, ignoring her.

"I would have to examine her more closely. Could be anything." But he clearly had the same suspicions. Victoria might be clear of Cell 114 technology now, but what if her DNA was changing?

"Then it looks like you're getting your wish, Ms. Evans. We're going to help you."

"How?"

"We need to look at your arm," Ianto answered. "Owen is—"

"A doctor," she interrupted. "You said that already."

"—is familiar with these sorts of things," Ianto smoothly continued. "So if you'll trust us, we may be able to fix it, like you asked."

She stared at each of them in turn, and at Jack the longest before directing her question to Ianto. "Why should I trust you?" she asked. "You're hiding something about Serenity Plaza, I know you are."

"What do you think we're hiding?" asked Jack, wondering if she somehow knew.

"I don't know, because you covered it up well," she said. "But my grandmother died there. They still haven't released the bodies. I want to know why, and how it's connected to my arm."

"Why do you think it's connected to your arm?" Ianto asked her. She was smart, that much was certain.

"Because it happened on Saturday, the same day as the explosion," she said. "And ever since, I've been having these flashes, visions I don't understand. Of blood and violence and monsters."

This time it was Owen who swore. "We better get her downstairs quick, Jack. And I mean _down_stairs." As in the cells.

"We need to know more about this first," Ianto insisted. "You saw the scanner, it was negative. She left the estate so she might not be affected."

"She's clearly not affected," Jack said. "Or her bones would be melted and she'd sound like a robot. But that doesn't mean she won't be affected some day in the future."

"Excuse me, _she_ is right here!" Victoria exclaimed. "Affected by what? Something that melts bones? Maybe I came to the wrong place after all! Because you are not taking me anywhere!"

Ianto smiled and turned on the charm again, though it was slightly more genuine than his dealings with her grandmother. "You came to the only place that can help you," he told her. "Owen will run some tests, you can tell us about your time in Serenity Plaza, and we'll straighten everything out for you as best as we can."

She was eying both Owen and Jack sideways, still focused on Ianto. "Why I should trust you?" she asked again, but directing it toward Ianto alone this time.

"Because you can," said Ianto. "We want to help. It's what we do."

"No referrals?"

"Not on this," he replied. She stared at him a bit longer, enough that Jack was starting to wonder if something else was going on, and then she nodded. Ianto looked at Jack. "We should take her to the medical bay."

"That's fine," Jack said. "You lead, I'll follow."

Ianto held his gaze a little longer, then showed her the way to the lift. Owen went next and Jack followed, hoping that Ianto was right and that they could straighten everything out—and that it would be enough.

* * *

Ianto did his best to hide his concern, smiling at Victoria and offering all the support he could in the face of Jack's glowering and Owen's medical babble. But it was getting harder and harder. This woman had lived at Serenity Plaza, and she had clearly been affected in _some_ way given the appearance of her arm. He and Jack had been there for weeks as well. Jack had been affected after being captured, but what about Ianto? Owen still hadn't finished his last test. What if he was going to break out with a disfigured arm one day? Or worse?

Victoria was appropriately dumbfounded and awed by the Hub, and Ianto could tell Jack was a little smug about that. Of course, she'd never remember anything about it when they were done helping her, but Ianto was glad they weren't making things worse by putting a bag over her head. She was quiet, and Ianto could feel her watching him more than the others; that was his job as the good cop, after all, to build that relationship and gain her trust.

He didn't think she was a threat, but they hadn't thought Beth Halloran was a threat either; she'd had no idea she was an alien sleeper agent. Ianto hoped they did not have to use the mind probe on Victoria Evans. The situation was totally different: Victoria was a human who had been exposed to alien DNA, not an alien masquerading as a human. And he really hoped they could help her, when they had failed to help Beth and all the other residents of Serenity Plaza.

After running multiple scans and drawing blood, Owen set to work running tests on Victoria's DNA. Ianto took her to sit on the sofa and asked about her time at Serenity Plaza while Jack watched, his face still a stern mask. The more he talked to Victoria, the more Ianto's anxiety increased, until he felt the need to get away and take a break from pretending to be calm and understanding. He stood up and tried to keep his voice level.

"I'm going to go make us some tea, I think," he said. "Would you like some biscuits?"

She nodded and Ianto could feel her watching him leave, as if she needed him to stay as much as he needed to go. He knew the moment Jack followed him. For a moment neither of them spoke as Ianto set a kettle of water to boiling.

"Tea, huh?" Jack said, leaning against a nearby table. "That's different."

"She doesn't strike me as a late-night coffee kind of person," Ianto offered, knowing it was a lame excuse since he was the one too jittery for coffee.

"And tea is probably better for someone who just walked into a secret underground base," Jack agreed. "How about you? Are you all right?"

Ianto turned on him, finally done with the question once and for all. "No, I'm not!" he hissed under his breath so no one else heard them. "I'm still trying to reconcile shooting you and blowing up a gated estate with the fact that it was necessary to save the world, despite Whitehall not trusting us to do our job without running it through them every time. Not to mention the fact that coming back to the real world has been completely disorienting, and my flat was too dark and quiet after living together in a nice house for a month." That last slipped out before he could stop it, but it was better than voicing his real fear.

Embarrassed, Ianto ignored Jack's reply by turning back to the kettle. "What else?" Jack asked. "There's more."

"There's nothing." Ianto set the tea to steep.

"You're worried," Jack said. "I am too. Not about Victoria, but what it means for—"

Ianto's head dropped. "For me," he murmured, then turned back around, unable to hold back his fears any longer when Jack had the same ones. "Jack, something happened to her because she lived there. What if something's happened to me? I was there when it all went to hell!"

Jack stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace, and Ianto sighed, because it was nice to feel the support when he was so rattled. "Then we fix it, just like you told Victoria. We may not always think so, but Owen is a brilliant doctor. He will do whatever he can to fix this, you know that. And I will do whatever he can't."

"I know," Ianto said, because he did. He believed in Owen more than he would ever admit to the doctor, and was touched by Jack's words more than anything. "But Jack…" A thought occurred to him, one that sent his stomach crashing again. "What if there are others besides Victoria?"

"What?" Jack stepped back, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"Other people who lived there, or who stayed there, but who left before being completely changed? We may have a much bigger problem on our hands than we know." It suddenly wasn't just about him, or Victoria. What about other family members, or anyone who had moved? How long had that signal been operating? Were there other people around the country going through what Victoria was experiencing?

Jack rubbed his hands across his cheeks and swore under his breath. "You're right. If she was affected after several months, who knows what it did to anyone else who was there for an extended period of time. Why can't we just get rid of these guys?"

"They're the gift that keeps on giving," Ianto replied, not hiding the dry bitterness. "A never-ending series of sequels. At least we know the main plot points."

Jack laughed through his nose. "That's one way to look at it, I suppose."

"As long as there are no new twists," Ianto said, then took a deep breath. There was one more thing that was bothering him, that he had been thinking about nonstop since the moment he'd seen Victoria's arm. "But if there are any new plot twists…especially for me…I need to know you'll do the right thing." He met Jack's eyes, but the other man looked confused.

"I always try to do the right thing," he protested. "You know that, better than anyone. Even when the right thing feels wrong!"

"I know." Another deep breath. "You said this afternoon that you would have stopped me, if I had been the one converted in Serenity Plaza. If there's something inside of me, something that comes out…Jack, I need to know you'll stop me from hurting anyone. No matter what you have to do." Even if it meant Jack would have to shoot him—and kill him.

Jack's face went slack and pale; Ianto had truly shocked him. "No," said Jack. "I can't make that promise. I will stop you from hurting anyone and I will do everything I can to save you—but I won't kill you. You can't ask me to do that."

"I know how hard it is," Ianto said, moving closer and lowering his voice. "Why do you think I let Lisa suffer for so long? I couldn't bear the thought of losing her, but even more than that, I couldn't be the one to end it, to take her life when all I wanted was to save her. But in the end, death saved her from suffering. You know that. It's why you stopped her."

"Then how can you ask me to do that to you?" Jack hissed. "When you know how hard it is? When you know I'd have to live with it for eternity?"

"Because you're the only one who can," Ianto replied. "The only one I trust to actually do it. And knowing you can is the only thing keeping me from turning into a gibbering wreck right now."

Jack's face broke and he pulled Ianto into a stifling embrace once more, burying his face in Ianto's neck. "It's not going to happen," he whispered. "We weren't there long enough."

"Jack…"

"If anything happens to you, I will save you," Jack said. "That is the only promise I can make. But it won't come to that. We have to believe that. The story ends here."

There was a cough behind them and Ianto stepped back quickly, straightening his jacket and composing his face before looking up to find Owen standing there with a clipboard.

"Actually, I think I know where this story is going," he said.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, not Vanessa! Dodgy science, perhaps, but I'm also working with only a few details about this satellite signal, so I've tried to make it as plausible as possible. I feel like so much was unresolved, it's too fun not to run with it. Especially the fact that Jack was clearly affected when he was captured, but what about Ianto? Or anyone else who stayed there? Thank you for reading – let a girl know what you think before it's over?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

They sat on the sofa, their tea untouched on the coffee table. Ianto was next to Victoria, offering support, and Jack sat next to him, doing the same. He could feel Ianto's worry, though he was hiding it once more. And while Jack wanted to believe that they hadn't been there long enough for any changes to have taken place within them, he also knew that they were dealing with alien technology—technology that had, somehow, affected him when he'd been captured.

Suddenly, the possibility of flipping their experience in Serenity Plaza was very real. Ianto had shot Jack to stop him, helping reset any alien changes in his body. Yet Jack did not have that luxury, as strange as it might be to call the ability to shoot one's boyfriend dead without lasting consequence. He could not shoot Ianto to stop him, or reset him, or save him; it would kill him. End of story.

Ianto's request made sense, though, and that was what was so horrible about it all. He trusted Jack to do what had to be done, above all others, because Jack was the one who made the hard calls, who pulled the trigger, who pushed the button. But when it came to Ianto…he wasn't sure he could. Ianto's trust was misplaced, because Jack would sacrifice the world for him, if it came to it. Yet if Ianto were suffering, without hope, what then?

"Stop moping," Owen said, breaking into his train of thoughts. "Whatever you're both imagining in those thick skulls of yours, it's not as bad as you think."

Jack did not relax. "Fill us in, then."

"Right. First, though—do you have any idea of how long that signal was broadcasting?"

Jack glanced at Ianto, and they both shook their heads. "We picked it up when Tosh fine-tuned the search algorithm," said Ianto. "It could have started before that."

"Considering Victoria moved out right before you got there and was still exposed, I think that's a given," Owen said. "I'm hoping Tosh can either dig it up somewhere, or extrapolate based on the other data we have."

"Why?" Jack asked. "What did you find?"

Owen went over to his station and turned the computer screens toward them. "To start with, Jack's clear, probably because you shot him." Victoria looked confused, but Ianto cringed, and Jack glared at Owen, who shrugged smugly as he continued. "Ianto, you've got a minor mutation here." He pointed at something on his screen, but Jack had no idea what he was looking at other than strips of black and white.

"What does that mean, a minor mutation?"

"A minor mutation is just that—a minor alteration to the DNA sequence. They happen all the time, it's why we have everything from cystic fibrosis to cancer. It's also why some people have ginger hair or strong bones, so genetic mutations are not always bad. This one sits on one of the genes scientists think are tied to aging," Owen said.

"Should we be concerned?" Jack asked, imagining Ianto aging at an accelerated rate. He didn't want to think about what that would mean.

"I'm not a geneticist, but I'd say probably not. He may go bald long before the rest of us, or be wrinkle free until he's eighty, but it shouldn't be a concern."

Ianto was staring at the screen, his face both alarmed and confused. "What caused it?" he asked. "Was it the signal at Serenity Plaza?"

"It could be natural, but I doubt it," said Owen. "Your last blood draw to check it against was three months ago, so it's definitely happened since then. And if that signal was reprogramming the residents there, then you got a dose of it, and I'd bet my money that's what did it."

"Can you fix it?"

"Not really," said Owen. "I've got some nifty tools here, but I can't unmutate a mutation. If that was the case, we'd have a cure for cancer by now."

"What about Victoria?" Ianto asked. "What about her arm?"

Owen pulled up another set of test results. "She's got a bit more going on. She was there longer than you, and it did a number on her arm, which is why I'm guessing that signal started well before we picked it up. There are a number of mutations there, but the good news is they're stable."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'd say it's done—they're not going to keep mutating without the signal."

"No stabby arm."

"Exactly."

"What do you mean by stabby arm?" Victoria demanded, finally finding her voice. Her face was pale and her eyes wide with fear. "I don't understand what you're saying at all, but can you fix it? It hurts."

Jack glanced at her in surprise; she hadn't mentioned that. Ianto idly rubbed his arm, whether in sympathy or because it bothered him, Jack didn't know; he hoped it was not the latter.

"There was a satellite signal we traced to Serenity Plaza," Ianto told her. "And we think it caused some changes in the people living there."

"But if you have a mutation too, does that mean you were there before it exploded? And why doesn't your arm look like this?" She held up the wrinkled, deformed skin of her forearm.

"We were there for several weeks," Jack told her. "We suspected something was going on, and we went in to find it."

She sat back and narrowed her eyes at them. "Hang on, are you Ken and Ifan?" she asked. Ianto looked at Jack in surprise. "My grandmother said an adorable gay couple had moved into Number 7. Is that you?"

"Actually, my name is Ianto, and this is Jack," Ianto told her. "But yes, we did live at Number 7. We knew your grandmother."

"She was a cheeky old girl," Jack couldn't resist adding with a grin. Victoria smiled sadly.

"Yes, she was. I can only imagine what she must have said to the two of you!" She sighed, clearly mourning her loss. "So this signal changed people? Is that why it was so weird there?"

"Nope," Jack said. "That was all them. Perkiest place on earth." Ianto was frowning, though. "What?"

"Maybe it was the disconnect between the alien consciousness and human persona that made them like that. Or worse, at least. Maybe they were overly cheerful because inside, they were in pain." He glanced at Owen, and they waited for the doctor to reply.

Owen shrugged in response. "I'm not a psychiatrist either, or an alien one at that, but it sounds plausible to me. The human psyche does all sorts of crazy things to protect itself."

"Why do you keep talking about aliens?" Victoria asked. "Are you implying it was aliens that did all this?"

Ianto left it to Jack to answer. "As a matter of fact, it was. We've seen them before, and we stopped them before. There's nothing to worry about anymore."

"It's our job," Ianto added. "To protect people from more unusual threats."

"Then what about this?" she demanded, waving her deformed arm. "What can you do about this? And my dreams?"

"I can refer you to a good plastic surgeon," Owen replied. "It's not unlike a burn, and a skin graft may be able to give it a more normal appearance. As for the dreams, they're probably a coincidence, and I'd recommend a therapist. Nightmares tend to be par for the course when it comes to Torchwood."

Victoria sighed again; she seemed frustrated more than anything, like she wanted to argue but didn't know what to say. Jack sensed that she was, unfortunately, not going to deal with the situation well. Not because she was weak or scared, but because she was like her grandmother, strong-willed and outspoken. Maybe he was underestimating her and she would keep their secret, but they'd brought her into the Hub and confirmed the existence of aliens. They couldn't take the chance that she would reveal the truth about Serenity Plaza because she was angry or upset about it. He cleared his throat. "Ianto, could we get some more tea, maybe? Or coffee?"

Ianto picked up on his meaning immediately and stood. "Do you like decaf?" he asked. "Or would you like another cup of tea?"

"A glass of water, perhaps?" she asked. "That would be fine."

"One glass of water and some coffee coming up." He smiled and left them. Jack turned toward Victoria, Ianto's comment about others and Owen's theory about the signal continuing to worry him.

"Victoria, do you know of anyone else who might have been staying in Serenity Plaza for a longer period of time and left, like you? We met all the neighbors, but no other family members who might have been visiting."

She nodded. "Number 13 had a son in college, he visited several weekends and holidays. And David and Kate were taking care of her mother for a while, until she needed hospice care. I don't remember where she is now, though." She continued with a few others, mostly thinking out loud. Jack knew they had some detective work on their hands, and that even if they could track down the friends and relatives of all the Serenity Plaza residents, there would still be someone who had stayed there that they would miss.

"You get all that?" Jack asked Owen, who had been writing on his clipboard, hopefully not doodling.

"'Course I did," he said. "Teaboy can look them up and we'll keep an eye on them."

"Why?" asked Victoria. Ianto returned and handed her a large glass of water. He had two mugs of coffee for him and Jack. Jack watched her take a sip; it would only be a few minutes until the Retcon started to work.

"Just in case they have something like you," Ianto told her, standing and watching as well. "That way we can at least explain things."

"Really?" she asked. "You're going to tell them all about aliens and satellite signals from outer space?"

"Probably not," Ianto said, and offered a smile and a small shrug. "We'll likely tell them it was some sort of radiation that contributed to the gas explosion." That would be their story then, to any other residents they might find. As well as for Victoria Evans, who would not remember anything about aliens and signals from outer space in the morning.

She yawned. "That's definitely more believable. I don't know whether or not to thank you for telling me the truth."

"Just remember, you're going to be fine," Ianto said as she set her glass down and yawned again. "Nothing else is going to happen to you, and we'll make sure you're looked after."

"I know," she said, leaning sideways and setting her head down on the sofa. "You said I could trust you."

Jack saw the conflicted look on Ianto's face and felt it too. They'd told her she could trust them, and now they were taking away that memory to replace it with a lie. They'd done it dozens, if not hundreds of times, but it was never easy. Especially with someone like Victoria, who seemed like a good person caught up in something unfortunate. Yet Jack knew Ianto, and he knew the other man would keep an eye on her. Hopefully not too close.

* * *

Victoria Evans slept soundly on the sofa in the Hub, a small dose of Retcon slowly working its way through her system and taking her memories so they could be replaced with the version of events they wanted her to remember. The three men were silent for a moment before Jack spoke quietly. "Anything you left out, Owen?"

"I was serious about the skin graft," the doctor said. "But if we're going to be seeing more of this, we may want to bring in someone that has experience with gene therapy."

"Got any names?"

"I can look into it," Owen replied.

"All right, you cover that angle. Ianto, can you—"

"Put out the radiation story and start a database that follows the medical records of anyone exposed in the area?" he suggested. "Already on it—in my head, at least."

"Of course you are," Jack laughed. "Get Tosh to help you with that database once you track everyone down. Now, how do we get Victoria home? Do we even know where she lives?"

"I'll check her purse, and we can wake her up right before we take her in," Ianto replied. "And I'll leave her my card, in case she's confused." It wasn't standard practice, but he was worried about her. Maybe it was because he felt a connection, both of them having been affected by Serenity Plaza, but he hated thinking of her sitting at home lost and confused, her memories tangled up as she tried to understand what had happened to her arm, as well as her lost grandmother.

"Of course she'll be confused," Owen snorted. "I'll get you something to wake her up." He went downstairs to the medical bay.

"Sounds like a plan," said Jack. He set down his coffee, stood up, and stretched. "I'll get our coats so we can take her home and call it a night." He turned toward his office. Ianto stood and spontaneously stopped him, the words out before he could even think of what he was saying.

"Grab some things," he said, hoping he sounded casual. "You can stay at mine tonight once we're finished."

Jack grinned, a genuine smile that was heartfelt and only for him. Of course Owen came up behind him at that moment, and of course he said something.

"Couldn't stay away, huh?" he said.

"First night back," Ianto shrugged, trying not to rise to the bait. "He shouldn't have to sleep here after a long day."

"We always have long days," Owen pointed out. "So does this mean you might shack up for good? Gwen's already tried to talk him into it, you know."

"What, to shack up with her?" Ianto asked too quickly, his voice too high. "She's married!"

Owen rolled his eyes, reminding Ianto of what he must look like every time he did the same to one of his teammates. "No, you plod, with you. He said he wasn't thinking about it, but Tosh said he was looking at places earlier. On the computer."

That was even more shocking than Gwen trying to talk Jack into living with Ianto. "Well, we did blow up a particularly nice house. He's probably just curious."

"Are you?" asked Owen. Ianto was both glad Jack was taking longer and wished he would come out and end the awkward conversation.

"Curious? About what?" He cringed at how transparent his attempt to feign ignorance sounded. Owen agreed.

"Living together in the real world, not pretty, plastic Serenity Plaza. Is that why you came back tonight?"

"I forgot something," Ianto said, distracted. Yes, he was curious. And apparently Jack was as well. Maybe it was the letdown from spending the past month together, but maybe it was more. And maybe they could try it, living together. But then, what if it didn't work? Could they go back to what they were, living apart? Or even back to only coworkers? Ianto suspected Jack might be able to, but Ianto knew that he couldn't. If his relationship with Jack failed—and it would someday, of that he had little doubt given their unique situation as mortal and immortal—Ianto would be devastated. Why take the risk that living together would only hasten the end and push Jack away?

Only they had mostly got on together at Serenity Plaza. All the things that had bothered him revolved more around the neighbors and the fake personas they wore to fit in. Yes, things like the washing and cleaning and the bloody lawn had driven him mad by the end, but maybe they could figure those things out if they were both working at Torchwood as Jack and Ianto, instead of posing as Ken and Ifan. Ianto might not roll pasta and put out decorative towels, but dinner and weekends and maybe even an occasional get-together with the team might be good. Maybe he'd serve kebabs.

"Oi, are you even listening?" Owen asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Ianto glanced at Jack's office and rubbed his arm, though it was feeling much better. He was still worried about it, but Owen's findings had been reassuring.

"Never mind," Owen grumbled. "Do what you want. Just don't make it hard for the rest of us. I don't want to work with some lovesick couple who come skipping into the Hub every morning holding hands."

"We aren't lovesick, and we don't skip. Ever." Ianto rolled his eyes. "And we don't—"

"—oh, we _do_ hold hands," Jack finished, coming out from his office with his coat on and a small overnight bag. He took Ianto's right hand in his and squeezed. "See? And maybe we'll bring muffins!"

Owen groaned. "Forget it. You two deserve each other in some weird, warped way. Need help with the girl?"

Jack dropped Ianto's hand and shook his head. "No, I think we'll be fine. Go home. We've got lots to follow up on tomorrow. The gift that keeps on giving."

Jack carried Victoria to the car, and Ianto directed them to her flat in Maindy. A few minutes before they arrived, he gave her some of Owen's medication and she woke up slowly, disoriented. He walked her in and tried to explain what had happened—the alternate version, of course—but she was still groggy. He left her with some water and his card and returned to the car, trying not to feel bad about it and mostly failing.

Jack drove them to Ianto's flat, and for the first time since they'd left Serenity Plaza, Ianto felt normal. It felt right, to be walking into his flat with Jack behind him. To have a drink and relax on the sofa together; to stumble to bed, leaving their clothes on the floor; to clean up in the small bathroom and fall asleep beside one another. It was right, and good, and normal.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a doctor, scientist, or geneticist, so I apologize to those of you who are if I've mucked up the genetic points. Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Jack woke slowly, briefly wondering where he was until he remembered he had spent the night with Ianto at his flat. He rolled over to find the other man already awake and watching him with an enigmatic look on his face. Jack lay on his side to face him, tucking one hand under his head.

"That's not creepy," he offered by way of greeting, softening it with a grin. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not very long," Ianto replied, but did not say anymore.

"You could have woken me up," Jack pointed out, slightly unnerved by Ianto's seriousness. "Rather than staring at me while I sleep."

"Usually you're the first one awake and staring," Ianto pointed out. "And I wasn't staring at you, I was thinking."

Jack moved closer, reaching out to lay a hand on Ianto's hip and caressing it gently. "About which particular issue? Serenity Plaza? Victoria? The Home Office?" This case was one of their more complicated ones in terms of cleanup. Ianto shook his head.

"No, not really." When Jack offered a wordless look of surprise, since he was worried about all three, Ianto continued. "We can handle London. We can keep an eye out on Serenity Plaza survivors. I can look in on Victoria—"

"—not too much, I hope," Jack couldn't resist. Ianto rolled his eyes but smiled. "So what are you thinking about first thing in the morning? A long, hot shower, perhaps?"

"Good idea," Ianto nodded. "But that's not what I was thinking about."

"Are you going to share these deep thoughts?" Jack asked. He was starting to feel slightly nervous, as Ianto still seemed unusually serious. Like he'd come to some sort of decision and was about to drop a bombshell.

Ianto nodded, but seemed to choose his words carefully. "I heard Gwen was talking to you about moving out of the Hub, finding a place of your own."

"She thought I should find a new Serenity Plaza," Jack told him, wondering where this was going. "A more normal one, of course. No aliens."

"No aliens," Ianto murmured. "And would you? Move out?"

Jack rolled over onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling. Why was he suddenly so nervous, apprehensive? This was his chance—Ianto was asking all the right questions, giving Jack the perfect opportunity to see how the other man felt about finding a place together—about moving into a new house, a new Serenity Plaza, _together_. Yet the words stuck in his throat, because Ianto had hated the gated community so much. He'd surely never want to live with Jack again.

"Don't know," he finally answered. "Not that I love living in an underground bunker, not compared to that bedroom we had a week ago, but…it's a big change. I've been in that bunker ever since I took over."

"Change can be good," Ianto pointed out, also on his back and gazing upward, as if avoiding one another's eyes made the conversation easier somehow. "You've already given it a try, and it wasn't so bad."

Jack glanced at him in surprise. "Not so bad? You've spent the last forty-eight hours—actually, the last month—complaining about it! I didn't know you _could_ complain as much as you have."

Ianto smiled almost sheepishly, unoffended at Jack's words. "That's usually Owen's area, isn't it? I didn't like Serenity Plaza, but I think…maybe…the idea of it isn't so bad."

"The idea of what?" Jack couldn't believe Ianto might be saying what Jack hoped he was saying.

There was a moment of silence. "Of finding a house, someplace away from Torchwood," he finally replied. Now Jack was confused.

"You have a place, this flat," he pointed out. "I'm the one who needs somewhere else to live besides the Hub—a flat, a house, a boat. Anything."

There was another long pause. "Maybe we could look for something together, something bigger than my flat so we're not bumping into each other all the time."

This time Jack was quiet, too shocked to respond. "Together?" he finally managed, rolling over to face Ianto again. "As in living together?"

The Welshman was already shaking his head as he continued to stare at the ceiling. "Never mind, it's probably a bad idea, since we see each other every day, all day at work. You should find your own place. I could help, I know the area." He seemed mortified to have said anything, yet Jack was grinning, a feeling of happiness growing in his heart.

"You said 'we'," Jack said. "And 'together'. You suggested looking for a new place for us to live in together."

"Yes, well," Ianto practically stuttered, pulling himself up to a sitting position as if he could escape quicker that way. "I thought maybe…but you don't seem…it's a bad idea," he finished. "Forget I even mentioned it."

"I don't want to forget," Jack said. He sat up next to Ianto, moving closer and grinning even more when Ianto moved away. "I want to know what you meant—I don't seem what? Interested?"

"Well, you don't," Ianto replied.

"I'm surprised," Jack said. "There's a difference."

"Right. Why are you surprised?"

"I'm surprised because you hated Serenity Plaza," Jack pointed out. "What changed?"

"I did hate it," Ianto admitted. "I hated the rules and the upkeep and the pressure. I hated the bake sales and the neighbors and the lawns. I hated the estate, but…" He took a deep breath and finally looked at Jack, still serious. "I liked being there with you. It was the only thing that kept me sane, I think."

Jack moved closer and put his arm around Ianto's shoulder, pulling him close and feeling the other man's tension. He kissed Ianto's temple and wished the other man would start to relax. "I liked being there too," he said. "With you. You're the only reason I came home every night."

He felt Ianto smile and finally start to relax against his side. "It had had its moments," he said. "Good and bad."

"_Our_ moments were mostly good, I think," Jack said after a moment. "It was everything else that ruined it." They shared a laugh, but didn't speak. "Were you serious?" Jack asked quietly, almost afraid to bring it up again. "About finding a new place to live? Together?"

Ianto sat up straighter and met his questioning gaze. He seemed more confident. "I was," he said. "If you were interested. Because I'd understand if you weren't. Working together and living together is…well, it's a lot. Maybe even a little insane."

"We've both done crazier things," Jack said, trying to talk himself out of it and failing. He wanted to, and so did Ianto, but he was trying to talk them out of it too. Why not take the chance?

"Don't make fun of my lamb kebabs," Ianto admonished, and then laughed before turning serious yet again. "I'm not sure if we're even in that place, to be honest," he admitted. "We were pretending to be Ken and Ifan, happily committed couple, in Serenity Plaza. Maybe that's not for us."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I already told you, I'm committed. I don't know about you, but I'm happy, too. And I'm not going anywhere, so maybe we should, if you feel the same."

"Wait, what?" Ianto looked astonished. "If I feel the same about what?"

"Are you happy?" Jack asked, taking his hand. "With this, with us? I know it's pretty unconventional at times, and work throws a major wrench into everything we do, but—"

"Yes," Ianto interrupted. "I'm happy. And still interested."

"Me too."

"Well then," Ianto said, then grinned, his face going from uncertain to happy and making Jack's heart jump at the change. Sometimes he couldn't believe that he had been lucky enough to meet this man, and that Ianto saw something worthy in him and wanted to be with him. Jack knew perfectly well he could be a difficult man, wearing a mask to hide his real self, a man with so many flaws, so many mistakes to his name, that it was a wonder the universe _let_ him be immortal. Yet sometimes, with Ianto, that mask could slip, and he didn't run, didn't hide. Ianto still cared about him.

It was a remarkable thing, and Jack felt the giddy head rush that people felt when they realized how much they cared about someone, how happy they could be with that other person. He leaned forward and kissed Ianto, laughing out loud when Ianto toppled them back to the bed.

"So when do we want to do this?" Jack asked. "Because I was looking earlier—"

"At houses?" Ianto asked with a small smirk.

"For us," Jack admitted, because it was the truth. "I don't know if I would have said something, though," he admitted. "I was too scared."

"Of what?"

"Of the answer, of course," Jack told him, leaving open the question of which answer scared him more. "You're much braver than me, you know. Always have been, always will be," he murmured, running his hands along Ianto's face and kissing him again.

"I'm not," Ianto protested. "I was terrified. That's what I was thinking about while you were asleep – how I was a coward for not saying anything."

"But you did."

"And there's still time for you to back out," Ianto said, but with a smile.

"No way," Jack said, excitement beginning to override his nerves. "We went into Serenity Plaza with no say in anything—not even the curtains. This time we can find something in a good area, with a nice open layout, redo the kitchen, paint the bedrooms, landscape the back garden—"

"And pick out our own curtains?" Ianto finished dryly. "I didn't think you even knew what the word domestic meant and here you are sounding like you stepped out of a home decorating show."

"It's been a while," Jack answered honestly. "So I might be rusty. But I'd love a recliner, like the one we had in Serenity Plaza. And a king size bed. And a barbecue, so the team can come over—"

Ianto's eyes grew wider and wider, and Jack stopped before the other man had a panic attack and changed his mind. "And matching blue towels just for pretty," Jack finished.

Ianto made a very inelegant sound with his lips, then laughed nervously. "You know that's not what it will be like, right? What I'll be like? I don't want to roll pasta and put out fake towels and pull weeds by hand. I don't even care about matching plates, to be honest. Casual or cluttered won't kill anyone."

"I'll remember that next time you yell at us for the mess at the Hub!" Jack exclaimed.

"I don't yell, I admonish," Ianto returned in a prim and proper voice before grinning. "And work is different. Work needs to be clean and organized because it _could _kill us."

"Speaking of which…" Jack trailed off and Ianto tensed. Jack considered making a joke about Ianto shooting him again, but quickly decided it would be in poor taste. Ianto had been upset about it earlier and Jack sensed he would carry that guilt for a while, even knowing he'd saved Jack by shooting him. It was one of the more unusual aspects of their relationship, but Jack felt confident that they could work through it after everything else they'd been through. "We should probably think about heading to the Hub soon."

"Fine," Ianto grumbled. He relaxed and his hands started roaming along Jack's chest. "But you did mention a long, hot shower…"

Jack was about to jump up and pull him into the bathroom, but his mobile went off then, and it was one of the rings he'd programmed for the team. Which almost always meant team business, and not usually something good.

"I should take it," he murmured when Ianto's hands didn't stop their exploration. In fact, he started kissing Jack's neck as if to make it more difficult to answer. "Prat," he muttered, and felt Ianto grin against him. He reluctantly answered the phone. "Harkness."

"Jack, it's Gwen," said the voice on the other line. "Andy Davidson just called. He asked about Serenity Plaza."

"Okay," he said. "And you're telling me this at half seven in the morning because?"

"He said he knew we were out there, that's why he was calling. They had some reports about it overnight," she said. "About spooky stuff."

Jack rolled his eyes. "What kind of spooky stuff, Gwen? You know Davidson thinks we slay vampires."

"Jack…could that signal have affected the animals out there?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I split this chapter into two parts so that I could finish with an even number of chapters. Plus cliffhangers are always fun! Hope you enjoyed their conversation - thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"No way," said Owen. "The chances of that satellite having any effect on pets, or even local wildlife, are next to none. From what we've gathered, it was sending a signal to change the molecular structure of the human residents for a specific end. Animal DNA is close to ours, but not that close." He paused. "Unless someone had a pet monkey, of course. And then maybe we're talking King Kong."

"Cats and dogs share a large percentage of human DNA," Ianto pointed out. "Even mice."

"Yeah, and so do bananas," Owen said.

"I like bananas," said Jack. Everyone ignored him.

"Andy said there were reports nearby of unusual howling and a large beast with glowing eyes." Even Gwen sounded skeptical. "You don't think it's even possible that something could have happened to the animals in the area?"

"Look, I know we've seen some strange shit around here, so it's worth a look, but I don't think we're going to find any alien hellhounds out there. This is not a Sherlock Holmes novel." Owen sat back as if challenging someone to disagree.

"Let's hope not," Jack said. "Since they had to use Henry Baskerville as bait to kill the hound, and I hate being mauled." This time everyone stared at him. "What? I read. Anyway, we've already got a similar problem on our hands. I don't want to have to keep an eye on the wildlife too." He quickly filled Tosh and Gwen in on Victoria's visit to the tourist office the night before. They were both concerned, and Gwen offered to work on tracking down the relatives of any Serenity Plaza residents.

"I've got some ideas," Ianto spoke up. "I want to find a way to track everyone exposed and alert us to any changes in their medical records." He also wanted to be sure he was in charge, because he had known the people in Serenity Plaza, had met Victoria and seen how worried she was. He wanted to help, and he wasn't going to let Gwen take over. "I was thinking we could come up with some sort of database. We can talk after we check out the hellhound in the neighborhood."

"There's no hellhound," Owen said. "Best guess is the local wildlife might be stressed after the explosion and adjusting to a new environment."

"With glowing eyes?" asked Ianto.

"Well, let's take a ride," Jack said before Owen could respond. "Tosh, I want you to stay and let us know if there are any rift alerts."

"Of course," she said. "And I can start working on Ianto's database. Be sure to take a picture of the hellhound for me."

"We will," Ianto said. "And could you let UNIT know we're heading out there so they don't think we're trespassers? Thanks." Jack nodded in approval as they left the conference room and grabbed their gear—including tranquilizer guns, nets, and energy cages in case there actually were strange animals around. It was a short drive, during which Jack and Owen amused themselves by imagining stranger and stranger mutations roaming the desolated estate. Ianto half listened, his mind wandering back to his conversation with Jack that morning. They were moving in together, for real this time and not for a case.

Ianto felt a strange combination of relief and anticipation. Though he still felt guilty for shooting Jack, he knew it was something they could work through—and that it would never happen again. So he'd said something about a new house against all his better judgement, certain Jack would say no, but he'd agreed—had in fact already looked at places and had gone on about curtains and decorating in a way Ianto had never expected. It was both exciting and frightening. It was a big step, and although he wanted it, Ianto also knew Jack was right when he'd said that working together might make it harder.

So they set boundaries, limits. Made time for themselves alone, as well as together. Ianto couldn't help but wonder if being together more outside of work might be good for them. He still couldn't believe it was something Jack wanted, but he would do his best to set aside his doubts and his fears. Maybe it didn't have to be a big deal. They didn't have to paint the spare room or find matching curtains. Maybe they needed to see how it went before a full kitchen remodel.

Gwen bumped him on the arm, pointing out the window. "We're here," she said. "Time to stop gathering wool!" He idly rubbed the spot where she had touched him, but it had not bothered him yet that day.

"Sorry, still thinking about Victoria," Ianto lied. It occurred to him that they'd have to tell the others about their decision, and he did not want to deal with their various reactions. So maybe they wouldn't tell them. Maybe they could find something, move in, and have them over after work one day as a surprise. That might be more fun, springing it on them.

"Owen said she should be okay," Gwen said. "Though I'm sorry for her arm. Did you want me to look in on her?"

"No, I left her my card, so I think I'll call in a day or so, see how she's doing." They stepped out of the car and headed toward the former community of Serenity Plaza. There were two UNIT guards by the gate. Jack flashed his badge and strode through, while Gwen stopped to talk, catching up with them as they walked through the ruined neighborhood. It felt strange to be back so soon after blowing it up.

"The guards haven't seen anything," she said. "Nothing unusual, anyway. They thought maybe it was quieter than normal, and the only animal they've seen was a stray dog wandering around."

"No dogs allowed in Serenity Plaza," Ianto replied. "Must have come from another neighborhood."

"Why no dogs?" asked Owen. "Oh right, they were aliens."

"I've known plenty of aliens who kept pets," Jack said. "It's not a human thing."

"It's an excrement issue," Ianto told them. "Looks bad, smells bad, plus dogs dig holes in the lawn and make a lot of noise—therefore, not allowed."

As soon as he said it, they heard the sound of barking and a small white dog came darting toward them. For all his talk of the satellite signal not affecting the animals, Owen was the first and only one to pull out his gun. Ianto gave him a withering look as Jack stepped forward and crouched low. The dog slowed but continued to walk toward him. It was white with brown splotches and covered in dirt. It looked like a small terrier, like the Russell terrier next door that Ianto had played with as a kid, and it was limping. It tentatively sniffed at Jack's outstretched hand, then began licking it, then pounced, putting its front paws on Jack's coat and licking his face. Its right paw looked red and inflamed, but its tail was wagging furiously—both of them.

"Er, Owen," said Gwen, staring at the animal's back end. "Didn't you say the animals wouldn't be affected?"

"Yeah, well Ianto said there were no dogs here," Owen said, putting his gun away.

"He's clearly been out and about for more than a few days," Ianto pointed out. "He's dirty, hungry, and injured." He crouched next to Jack, let the animal come to him, and then it was licking his face as well. Jack was grinning, and Ianto couldn't help but join him. The dog was friendly and adorable.

"He has two tails," Gwen said. "That's not normal."

"It could be broken," Ianto replied, running his hand down the dog's back; it grew skittish and he stopped. "He definitely needs a vet, unless Owen has a better bedside manner with dogs than he does with people."

"'Course I don't," Owen said. He too leaned down to examine the dog, and while it did not move away or growl, it also did not jump on Owen and lick him. It let Owen touch gently before moving back toward Ianto for an ear scratch.

"Yeah, he's hurt, but I'm not good with animals," he said.

"We can't leave him here," Gwen said.

"Of course we're not leaving him here," Jack said. "We're taking him with us." He stood up and looked around. "After we check out the area. What did Davidson say was out here?"

"Hellhound," said Ianto, and Gwen huffed.

"He said there was howling and a beast with glowing eyes."

"Animal in pain, eyes reflected the car lights," said Jack. "Case solved. Spread out and look around anyway."

The white dog followed Jack, until it grew too tired and laid down to wait for them. They spent thirty minutes exploring the ruins of Serenity Plaza, but found nothing to indicate any change in wildlife other than almost no birds and squirrels; perhaps the explosions had scared them away. Owen took some samples to be sure, but doubted he would find anything. They returned to the dog and Jack scooped it up in his arms, murmuring quietly to the animal as they walked back to the SUV. Ianto had a funny idea and watched them thoughtfully. Jack caught him staring.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jack asked, and Ianto immediately shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "No way."

"You know you want to," Jack said, turning the full blast of his smile on Ianto. Of course he wanted to, but it wasn't possible, wasn't practical. The animal would be happier going to a loving home with owners that kept regular hours, who had a garden to run in and maybe even kids to play with. All they could offer was a small flat and long days alone.

And yet…maybe they could find a place with a garden, even if it was a small one. Maybe they could bring the dog to the Hub with them, train him to hunt through the tunnels for rats and play with Myfanwy. It would be nice…the dog was bursting with personality and had certainly taken a liking to Jack. Ianto reached out to scratch its ears and it barked happily. Between the dog gazing at him with its pink tongue lolling and Jack's smiling charm offensive, he couldn't resist.

Ianto moved closer and lowered his voice. "He'll need a thorough check-up…shots, the whole nine yards."

"Not a problem," said Jack.

"And we'll need all kinds of supplies."

"Make a list."

Ianto couldn't help but smile. "What about a name?"

They reached the SUV and Jack set the dog in the back. He petted it and talked to it, and it seemed to trust him already because it gave one bark and settled down, licking its injured paw. Jack closed the door and turned to Ianto, looking so happy that Ianto felt it in his own heart.

"Untitled."

"What?" Ianto wondered if he'd heard Jack right. "Did you just name the dog Untitled?"

"Yep."

"Why?" Ianto let himself into the passenger side, ignoring Owen's protest, and waited patiently for Jack to explain.

"Because his story is unknown," said Jack. "And—"

"You don't like categories and labels," Ianto finished. "Seriously? That's why?"

"No," said Jack, rolling his eyes as they pulled away. "We can name him properly when we know his story better."

"You like the name Untitled because it's contrary," Ianto said. "You'd probably name him Dog if you thought you could get away with it."

Jack laughed and Ianto rolled his eyes. But he smiled to himself as he turned to gaze out the window, thinking about the creature tucked into the back that they were taking into their care, and the house they might soon move into. And in his mind, he named the dog Adref - _home._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, but isn't that the schmaltziest thing ever? Sometimes I can't believe how schmoopy I am. So I temper it with things like chopping Ianto's arm off. Maybe the signal would have affected the animals, maybe not - still no degree in science, let alone made-up science. Final chapter this weekend. Thank you for reading!


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

"You sure you still want to do this?" asked Jack, standing across the street from a modern semi-detached home and gazing at the front door with a slightly unsure look on his face.

"We have an appointment and we're here, so we may as well," said Ianto. He offered Jack a shrug and a crooked smile. "Just to look—nothing more."

"What if we like it?" Jack asked, mirroring Ianto's smile and relaxing. "Do we sign on the dotted line?"

"Baby steps," Ianto murmured, looking away to hide his own sudden nerves. He was fine with looking at the house—it was practically perfect online, with an open floor plan, all the updates they could possibly want, and a large enough garden for the stray dog they'd rescued from the ruins of their former home—but he'd not thought past that part. Because that meant doing it rather than thinking about it and talking about it—actually moving in together. Again.

Still, they'd survived Serenity Plaza and that had been full of psychotic aliens aiming to take over the world. Surely they could survive a semi-detached in a nice part of town with a few human neighbors.

"Now who's nervous?" Jack murmured, bumping his arm with a teasing look.

"I'm not," Ianto protested. "And if I am, then I got it from you."

"Hey, this was your idea," Jack pointed out.

"Only because I brought it up first," Ianto returned. "You were already looking."

"If I'd thought there was a chance, I would have said something," Jack replied. "But Ifan hated Serenity Plaza, so I didn't."

"Yes, well Ken and Ifan blew up their last house and choked on the ashes, so let's go at this one."

Jack laughed as Ianto started across the street with a determination he did not quite feel. It was still strange to think that their time as Ken and Ifan had lead them here, to looking at a real home as Jack and Ianto. A week ago he'd been undercover preparing kebabs in a gourmet kitchen; now that house was destroyed, along with every other one in the neighborhood and all the alien neighbors.

Ianto had seen and experienced things with Torchwood he'd never imagined, from aliens and dinosaurs and fairies, to time travel, body swaps, and the end of the world. Yet a month living undercover as a normal couple had been one of the strangest and most challenging. And then the aftermath: dealing with the fallout from the government, returning home and adjusting to their real lives, realizing the continuing consequences of the Cell 114 plot—particularly the personal ones. Ianto still felt guilty for shooting Jack and hoped he never had to do anything like that again. And he still worried about his exposure to the satellite signal that had converted Jack. His arm felt better, yet sometimes he couldn't help but imagine the phantom pain of it bursting into a weapon and piercing his nearest coworker.

And of course, there were all the others who'd stayed at the estate for any amount of time and may have been exposed as well. He and Gwen had spent three days compiling a list of friends and relatives to look into and follow. They had even spoken to a few. Fortunately, no one else seemed to have the same issues as Victoria. And Victoria herself was doing well, all things considered. Ianto had checked in on her once, finding her new memories of their meeting still in place. She'd asked him out for coffee, but he'd said no and not mentioned it to Jack.

Tosh had entered all the names into the database she'd built to track them and alert the Hub to any changes in their medical records. Owen had not found any evidence of genetic mutations in the wildlife around Serenity Plaza, which was brilliant because the thought of tracking (or destroying) every cat, dog, and squirrel in the area was overwhelming.

Untitled, however, was another case. His tail had proved not to be broken, but in fact two tails. The vet could not explain it; neither could Owen, who rolled his eyes and pointed out that they already had a pet dinosaur, now they had a freaky two-tailed dog. Ianto was surprised Jack hadn't jumped on the dog's two tails for a new name, but Jack maintained that the dog was to be called Untitled. Ianto half wondered if Jack was afraid of committing to something as normal as having a pet, but suspected it was more likely something from his past. Maybe a strange translation from his native tongue.

Though Ianto referred to the dog as Untitled in public, in private he tried to teach him a second name, Andref. Adding a few other Welsh commands obscured it well enough, though someone was bound to realize it soon enough. Still, he didn't care, as it was a much better name for an animal. And the dog was smart enough to respond to both—when it chose to listen.

Untitled was a handful, to be sure. He'd had a few close calls with Myfanwy already, but had put up such a scene of barking and growling that the pteranadon was clearly more scared of the dog now. Which explained why the dinosaurs had died out, but Ianto still hoped they could be taught to play a few games together.

After a few days they took Untitled through some of the lower levels of the Hub, even letting him roam a bit on his own, and he brought them all kinds of gifts: dead rats, a large fish, a glowing stick of some sort, even an old military coat Jack estimated he'd lost fifty years earlier. Ianto suspected if anyone ever got lost in the bowels of the underground maze, at least Untitled stood a fair share of finding them and getting them out.

Stopping before the door and forcing himself to focus, Ianto gazed up at the brick building, then turned and looked out across the street, through the park toward the bay. It was an exceptional location, particularly for them, literally a few minutes from work. The view was flat but open, and would be even better from the balcony. The park was perfect for walking the dog and letting him run more, assuming they ever found the time. Maybe having a dog would force them to step back from work more—if the world wasn't ending.

"It's nice," Jack said, standing beside him. "And close to the Hub."

"Not too close?" Ianto asked. "I don't want to move out of my flat only to spend more time at work because my new one is so close."

"Nah," said Jack, shaking his head and sounding more optimistic than Ianto. "It means we can get away quicker. No excuses if we're too tired to go home, it's right down the street!"

"True," Ianto murmured. Taking a deep breath, he started up the stairs. "Well, let's see what it's like."

The estate agent greeted them at the door and spoke with them briefly about the house before letting them look around on their own. The entry hall was small but lead into a large open space, obviously reworked from an older, more closed floor plan. The front living area flowed into the dining room and kitchen, where bright windows across the back wall looked over the rear garden. It wasn't a large kitchen, but it wasn't as narrow as Ianto's kitchen either. And it was refitted with modern appliances; all it needed was fresh paint.

Stairs near the front went to the first floor with two bedrooms that shared a bathroom, and a small sitting area leading onto a balcony in front with a beautiful view of the bay. Another set of stairs took them to the second floor and the master suite with its own bathroom and sitting area. It was positively luxurious compared to Ianto's bedroom, with tall windows overlooking the water and a brand-new ensuite done in black and white tile.

Though it wasn't as posh and spacious as their home in Serenity Plaza, it was still much bigger than Ianto's flat and Jack's bunker. It was close to the Hub, it was open and updated, and most importantly, it felt like a place they where could spend time outside of work.

The practical part of Ianto's mind was already placing his belongings everywhere—the battered sofa, the coffee table he'd had from his grandmother, the ridiculous lamp Lisa had bought in London, even the recliner Jack wanted. Yet as he thought about all the other things they might need to fill up the space, or about packing what he did have, he felt his chest start to grow tight, as the nerves came back full force. It was a big step.

Returning to the ground floor while Jack continued to explore, Ianto stepped out into the back garden for some air, trying to imagine sitting outside on a summer night, or sipping coffee on a crisp fall morning. It needed some work—too much stone, not enough green space—but with some comfortable chairs, a few plants, and maybe even some lights, it could be nice. And there was enough space to throw a ball for Untitled to chase and bring back.

His eyes landed on an old tree stump in the back corner, surrounded by drooping daffodils. On top of the stump was a large box, wrapped in shiny blue paper. Curious, Ianto wondered why there was a package in the back, when the owners had moved out already. Had they forgotten something? Had someone left them a gift not realizing they'd already left? He walked over, wondering if there was a card and thinking he could at least bring it inside and out of the rain predicted for later.

There was tag with the box, and to his surprise, it had both his name and Jack's written across it in unfamiliar handwriting. Frowning, he stepped back and looked around, as if he might find and catch whomever had left the package; of course there was no one. Ianto went inside and called to Jack, wishing he had a scanner to run over the unexpected box.

It didn't make sense to leave them a package, dangerous or not, in the back garden of the townhouse they were looking at. Even the rest of the team didn't know they were looking at the place. Who would send them something? Why? What could it be? In spite of every logical argument against opening it, Ianto was curious. And his instincts told him it was safe, that there was a perfectly normal explanation, that—

Jack stepped outside then, looked around and nodded. "I like it. Could be perfect for the dog with a little work."

"That's what I thought," Ianto replied, motioning him over. "But there's something strange back here. Someone left us a package."

"What?" Jack frowned as he looked at the box and saw their names. "But why would someone leave us a package here? No one knew we were coming."

"The estate agent did," Ianto pointed out. "Do you suppose it's from her?"

"I don't see why she'd leave it back here for us to find," Jack replied. "What if we didn't come out and find it?"

"Exactly," Ianto murmured, his curiosity growing stronger. "Well, should we call Tosh and have her bring a scanner over?"

Jack was staring thoughtfully at the box. He held up his wrist and typed a few things into his vortex manipulator. "I can't scan for everything, but I'm not picking up anything dangerous."

"Should we open it then?"

"What do you think?"

Ianto studied the box once more. "I think it's odd there's a package for us, here of all days and places. It makes me suspicious."

"But?" asked Jack. "There's more to that sentence, I can tell."

"But I'm also curious. I don't think it's dangerous. I don't know why, but maybe we're supposed to be here to find it today." Or maybe he was telling himself that so he wasn't as nervous.

Jack grinned. "Does that mean you like the place? Because I'm thinking it's pretty perfect."

Ianto nodded in agreement, though he was reluctant to let himself feel too enthusiastic. "It's good, yes. It's a lot more than I wanted to spend—"

"Not a problem," Jack interrupted. "You've seen my financial records."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "You've had over a century to invest, so of course it's not a problem for you. But I'm not moving in with a sugar daddy."

Jack burst out laughing. "I am many things, but that is not one of them. We can work out the finances later. Do you like it?"

"Yes," said Ianto. He loved it, if he could feel strongly about a place to live. "So can we open the package now?" For some reason, he needed to know what was inside. If they were supposed to find it there, that day, then maybe it was something important—something that would help him commit to moving.

"What if—"

Ianto was already tearing the paper. The box wasn't much bigger than a shoe box and felt almost empty.

"—it explodes?" Jack finished dryly. "Well, what is it?"

Ianto handed him a large wad of tissue paper and reached into the box. "A leash!" he announced, trying to keep a straight face even though he was thoroughly puzzled.

Jack's face twisted in confusion as well. "For us or the dog?"

"Unless you want to wear it, I'm thinking the dog," Ianto replied. "Hopefully the note will tell us who sent it." He took out the card, scanned it quickly for a signature, and handed it to Jack with a roll of his eyes.

"It _is_ for you," he said.

Jack read the card. He frowned, his eyes widened, he mouthed a few words to himself, then he grinned and looked up at Ianto.

"If you'd read it properly, you'd know it's for Untitled. _Our_ new dog. So it's for both of us." He grinned again, as if waiting for Ianto to squirm, which he resolutely refused to do.

"I know it's from the Doctor," said Ianto. "Who somehow knew where we'd be on this day, at this time."

"He is a time traveler," Jack pointed out. He handed Ianto the card. "Read it. I'm not sure I get it."

Ianto sighed and took the note, this time reading it closely and trying not to get irritated.

_Jack and Ianto – The house is a good place to start, love what you will do with it. Here's something for the dog. I found it on Sirius IV and remembered him wearing it the first time I met him. Will meet him. Whichever. Just give him a real name. And take lots of video of him, you might need it someday. Enjoy your walks in the park until then. The Doctor._

"How could he remember meeting the dog when he hasn't met him yet?" Ianto asked.

"His past, our future," Jack replied. "Simple closed time loop. What I don't get is the why we need to take video of Untitled. He's a dog."

Ianto read the note again and shrugged. "You did say he was eccentric." He took the leash and placed it back in the box with the tissue paper. "Well, that was not what I was expecting. And I'm not sure what to think about the Doctor spying on us either."

Jack laughed as he took the box and set it back down, then pulled Ianto close. "Don't think of it as spying. The way I see it, he just confirmed we move in together. So maybe we should get it. Today."

"Or maybe we should look at something else," Ianto hedged. He did like it, but it felt odd now, to know that someone from the future was watching them and telling them what to do because he knew they'd already done it. It felt less like a cool plotline on Star Trek and more like a heavy-handed episode of Location, Location, Location.

"You like it, right?" Jack asked again. Ianto nodded, and Jack leaned forward to kiss him. "Then let's get it, and not worry about how close it is to the Hub, or how much it is, or whether or not the Doctor said we live here. Let's do it, because we want to."

Ianto's mouth quirked up at the edges and Jack rolled his eyes. He threw caution and all his worries to the wind and nodded. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"You already asked me that," Ianto reminded him. "Before we came in."

"And you said we were here to just look," Jack threw back. "Baby steps. Ready to take a bigger step?"

Ianto glanced around the garden, back at the house, and thought about it. He'd probably regret saying no more than saying yes. It was perfect for them and he'd hate to lose such a place because he was too busy trying to figure out if he was ready for it. He didn't have forever, after all, not like Jack. Remembering the good times at Serenity Plaza, Ianto nodded.

"Yes," he said. "But I'm not doing all the washing up this time."

Jack laughed as they walked back inside. "Deal. And maybe I'll do some cooking, too."

An inelegant snort escaped Ianto's lips before he could stop it. Jack stopped in the middle of the kitchen, looked around, and nodded. "Challenge accepted, Mr. Jones."

"Phoning for take away is not the same as cooking, you know," Ianto pointed out, trying to keep a straight face and failing.

"I _can_ cook, you know," Jack replied with a matching grin.

"At least it'll never be boring," Ianto mused.

"But maybe a little more normal," Jack replied.

He reached out to squeeze Ianto's hand before they went up front to talk to the estate agent. Ianto doubted their lives would ever be completely normal, not when they chased aliens for a living and came home to a dog with two tails. But it was a good place to start, and they would be together.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! I hope this wrapped up several things in a satisfactory way. I have to admit I had so many ideas at times it was hard to decide which way to go! So many thanks once again to dinodina, cozsheep, avaantares, and fakingg_sanity for all your thoughts and opinions and general help and support! Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
